“World’s Most Sustainable Glass Bottles Created in Ground-Breaking Biofuel Trial.” Renewable Energy Magazine, 8 Feb. 2021, www.renewableenergymagazine.com/biofuels/20210208. 

The article talks about recent innovations in the glassmaking industry. Encirc, a glass container company experimented making 100% recycled glass bottles using only biofuels to run the operation. Under these standards the company was able to achieve a net-zero amount of carbon emissions. Lastly, the article talks about how significant this is for the industry and how it is a great first step towards carbon neutrality.

Reading this article I was very thrilled to see a very efficient use of biofuels. It is important for more industries to make an effort to be completely carbon neutral and sustainable. By undergoing this project and proving that this can be done in the glassware industry the company has set a great precedent for fellow glass corporations. Going into the future I hope to see more glassware companies use biofuels, I think this is a great application for the technology because all of the infrastructure is ready for these companies to approach a carbon free world.

Taylor, Michael. “Analysis-Indonesia’s Palm Oil-Powered ‘Green Diesel’ Fuels Threat to Forests.” Reuters, 3 Feb. 2021, www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-climate-biodiesel-idUSKBN2A4030. 

The article discusses Indonesia’s ambitious plans to start producing a much larger amount of biodiesel. Indonesia sits on a very large amount of palm trees. Palm oil is derived from these trees and that is used for the production of the biofuels. However, many environmentalists have expressed concern over the use of palm oil for biofuels simply because this will likely result in deforestation. Beyond this many other products use palm oil and the palm forests are threatened as is.

I completely agree with the author here. It is definitely risky to use palm oil for biofuel production because this will likely result in the destruction of these natural forests. This is yet again more evidence that biofuels are impractical for future use because of the demand they have for biomass and natural resources. If we aren’t able to figure out more sustainable ways to produce biofuel it will have trouble surviving in the market.

Parnell, John. “Shell Says Hydrogen Is Heavy Transport’s Future. What Now for Biofuels?” GTM, 21 Jan. 2021, www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/shell-says-hydrogen-is-heavy-transports-future-what-now-for-biofuels. 

The article discusses the grim future for biofuels. According to the fuel company Shell, the future of heavy transport is likely to be hydrogen instead of biofuels. Essentially, biofuels were really good for the short-term switch over to greener practices but will not be able to sustain a long-term future. This is because they work with all the infrastructure we already have set up, but providing the biomass to create biofuels will be too demanding going forward. The EU have already put limits on the amount of crops that can be grown to create biofuels.

As I read each article during my research for this assignment I become more and more apposed to biofuels. The author of this article makes a compelling argument as to why biofuels won’t be able to fill a sufficient amount of the market. They served a good purpose by providing a temporary solution to reducing emissions. However, in the long term we will need to look to other forms of fuel/energy sources because the amount of biomass biofuels need along with the current restrictions on biofuels make it infeasible for the future.

Stauffer, Brian. “AIRLINES PUSH TO REDUCE CARBON FOOTPRINT WITH GREENER FUELS.” Wall Street Journal, 9 Feb. 2021, www.wsj.com/articles/airlines-push-to-reduce-carbon-footprint-with-greener-fuels-11612893657. 

The article talks about how multiple airlines have been experimenting with different greener fuels, and that biofuels are one of the lead contenders. However, diving deeper into the article it is revealed that even biofuels are not extremely feasible in replacing current jet fuels. The main problem with using biofuels is the amount of biomass they require, and the fact that this biomass needed is not sustainable. Lastly, the author also discusses how many airlines have no incentive to purchase biofuels considering they can be about four times more costly.

I thought the article definitely did a good job at presenting some information many people don’t care to look at. Yes, biofuels can do a great job at reducing emissions but the amount of biomass that goes into making biofuel is not always sustainable and this will present a huge problem for us in the future. However, one thing I think the author forgot to mention was that the required biomass will change overtime as we continue developing biofuel. Beyond this, research has gone into making biofuel from other sources like kelp which can regrow incredibly fast, potentially solving this problem.

Johnson, Eric M. “Boeing Says Its Fleet Will Be Able to Fly on 100% Biofuel by 2030.” Reuters, 22 Jan. 2021, www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-biofuels-idUSKBN29R2C4.  

The article discusses Boeing’s recent announcement to fly completely on biofuels by the year 2030. It then goes into detail describing how many different things need to develop in order to let this happen. Boeing has acknowledged this will be a challenge especially considering the current bumps they are facing right now like the Covid-19 pandemic, and problems with one of their lines of planes crashing. However, the company has addressed the fact that they play an important role in decreasing the carbon footprint of their industry to combat climate change.

Personally, I thought this article was great news. It feels good to see big airlines like Boeing taking real action and effort to reduce emissions. I also think that when properly sourced, biofuels will do a great job at reducing emissions especially in an industry that contributes so much to the global carbon footprint. It is important for other big players in different industries to lead the way like Boeing, and going full biofuel by 2030 is a great precedent to set.

Mitchell, C. (2020, November 16). Can Biden Keep His Promise to Make Farms Climate Friendly? The New Republic. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://newrepublic.com/article/160205/can-biden-keep-promise-make-farms-climate-friendly 

One of the top three focuses of Biden’s presidency will be to make agriculture the “first net-zero industry in America.” This article dives into what that means, and if it’s even possible for Biden to complete. First off one of the problems it highlights is that Biden has been heavily influenced by one of his campaign advisors who unfortunately is extremely lobbied. This means that a lot of Biden’s agriculture policies support the current corporations in power, rather than focus on creating a new greener industry. Another huge topic of the article is of course biofuels. Biden along with other moderate democrats have not denounced corn ethanol biofuels, and instead give heavy support to this industry. 

This article was really saddening to read. I am happy that we will now have a president who believes in global warming; however, that is not enough. Most of the policies outlined by Biden are not completely effective, and instead make an effort to work with larger corporations rather than implement hard restrictions. For example, by supporting corn biofuels Biden is avoiding a true “green future.” Corn biofuels sound like they would be great for the environment, after all, it is a gas made from plant material. However, the external costs of growing corn produces so much carbon, and causes so much damage to the environment, that this type of biofuel is not helpful in fighting climate change. Ultimately, I hope to see stricter policies implemented from Biden, and I also hope to see a lack in corporate lobbying because this is what makes the government so ineffective in fighting climate change.

Bousso, R., & Sanicola, L. (2020, October 19). Facing wave of closures, oil refiners turn to biofuels. Reuters. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://www.reuters.com/article/europe-refining/facing-wave-of-closures-oil-refiners-turn-to-biofuels-idUSKBN2742CX 

A large amount of oil refineries in the U.S. are making the switch to biofuels. This is occurring as a result in the large decline for gasoline because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and a lack of need for transportation. Oil companies are recognizing that the future for traditional oil is grim and that they must make a change. Another subject outlined in the article is that across the U.S. fuel standards are going to be strengthened over the next few years which will exponentially increase the demand for biofuels. This is good information for newly transitioned refineries. 

Personally, I still don’t have a concrete opinion on biofuels because it is hard to know how effective they will be in curbing carbon emissions until we can truly see what they are being produced from. I think that if biofuel plants are able to find ways to create non-wasteful biofuels without using crops like corn (which have huge external costs) they will have potential. It is good that oil refineries are switching over to biofuels; however, once again we don’t know whether this will have any benefit yet because so many things are not set in stone. Many factors are at play with biofuels: like greenwashing, corn usage, and a lack of true care for going green. To see how this all is going to play out we will need concrete studies and firm policies to ensure biofuels are actually safe for the environment.

Goldsberry, C. (2020, November 12). Rushing Toward the Sustainability Cliff. Plastics Today. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://www.plasticstoday.com/sustainability/rushing-toward-sustainability-cliff 

The article discusses a recent fraud that occurred in the biofuel industry that resulted in two biofuel company owners being sentenced to prison. Essentially what happened is both of these owners had a biofuel company known as Keystone. The owners and company worked to falsify corporate documents to make it appear that their fuel was meeting green standards that the fuel was not meeting. This resulted in them having access to renewable fuel credits which is exactly what it sounds like, monetary compensation for being green. However, eventually it was revealed that the company was lying about meeting those standards, and the owners were sent to prison.

This article is extremely reflective of a problem that we will be seeing much more of in the U.S. The government has been and will be implementing more tax incentives and policies to curb carbon emissions and fight global warming. However, as we see many companies rush to adopt sustainability it is very likely that greenwashing will be very common. Essentially companies will keep on committing schemes to benefit themselves, like the one seen in this article. This is extremely unfortunate because tax incentives and monetary incentives to go green are supposed to support everyone; however, greedy companies may continue to work their ways around a greener future.

Voegele, E. (2020, November 9). Biofuel groups congratulate Biden and Harris. Biodiesel Magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from http://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/2517247/biofuel-groups-congratulate-biden-and-harris 

The author clearly supports the biofuel industry and gave heavy support for Biden winning the presidency. Biden has already endorsed multiple organizations that are working to decrease the use of regular gasoline and move towards better options like ethanol biofuel. The author hopes to see that in Biden’s presidency he forces the nation to take a step away from crude oil and switch over to biofuel which has much lower transportation carbon emissions. According to the author, biofuels are the most economically viable alternative to gasoline, and the key to a greener future.

Personally, I thought that the author brought up some great points. I would definitely be happy to see the U.S. take a step away from traditional gasoline and increase biofuel usage. It is great that Biden has been elected because he accepts global warming as a real issue, and plans on implementing policies that decrease regular oil usage. However, I think that the only way I will truly support biofuel usage is if the fuel isn’t being derived from corn. It is clear that not all plant-based biofuels are healthy for the environment, and if we are trying to create a greener future it will be essential to support biofuels derived from plants proven to have fewer external costs.

Krishnan, B. (2020, November 18). Ethanol Tries To Find Footing In Crowded Oil, Gasoline Trade. Investing. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://uk.investing.com/analysis/ethanol-tries-to-find-footing-in-crowded-oil-gasoline-trade-200449909 

The article mainly speculates the future of biofuels and how much they will succeed in the U.S. It brings up the fact that in the past couple weeks crude oil has been increasing in demand and price, a factor that negatively affects the demand for biofuel. Despite this grim statement regarding the future of biofuels, the article speculates that under Biden, biofuels may see an increase in demand because of the president’s greener mindset. However, the article also speculates whether he will choose to support biofuels at all in contrast to other green renewable energy sources.

The article brings interesting insight into what the future of biofuel may look like. Right now most of the biofuel in the U.S. is produced from corn, and to be frank the planet may benefit if Biden chooses to side with another form of greener energy. Biofuel is capable of having a great impact in preventing global warming; however, when produced with corn it can be very harmful to the environment. This is because of the external costs associated with corn production: soil erosion, land usage, and heavy fertilizer use. Ultimately, no one can know the future of biofuels in the U.S., and while some biofuels aren’t beneficial, there is no reason to give up on greener biofuels.