Reed, Betsy. “Food, Feed and Fuel: Global Seaweed Industry Could Reduce Land Needed for Farming by 110m Hectares, Study Finds.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 26 Jan. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/27/food-feed-and-fuel-global-seaweed-industry-could-reduce-land-needed-for-farming-by-110m-hectares-study-finds

A new study suggests that seaweed farming could provide food, feed supplements, and alternative fuels, by growing on an area of ocean almost the size of Australia. The study estimates that if seaweed could constitute 10% of human diets by 2050, it could reduce the land needed for food by 110 million hectares, an area twice the size of France. However, the study also notes that there are potential negative impacts on marine life that will need to be balanced with the benefits. The study identified 650 million hectares as plausible for seaweed farming, with the largest areas in Indonesia and Australia.

As much as I do think it is important to reach out and find sources for biofuel in different parts of the ocean, it is ultimately important to protect the habitats that live in those areas. This is because the ultimate goal of biofuel is to help fight climate change, and with process of using seaweed and potentially harming the life that already lives in those areas, I feel like we are hurting the climate and wildlife around us, and that might not be worth it for the biofuel. It sounds hypocritical, like we are breaking our one promise. However, if we look at the positive effects we can additionaly see that seaweed farming may constitute 10% of human diets by 2050, which would reduce the land needed for food by 110 million hectares, as mentioned in the article, which would tremendously help human consumption and climate change. All in all, the article makes it clear that this method of seaweed farming is a double-edged sword in the end.

“USDA Begins Accepting Applications for $100 Million in Biofuel Infrastructure Grants.” USDA, 23 Aug. 2022, https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/08/23/usda-begins-accepting-applications-100-million-biofuel

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for $100 million in grants to increase the use of biofuels derived from U.S. agricultural products. The funding is being made available through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP), which aims to market higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by sharing the costs to build and retrofit biofuel-related infrastructure such as pumps, dispensers and storage tanks. There was also an investment of $5.6 million through HBIIP that is expected to increase the availability of biofuels by 59.5 million gallons per year in several states, and a June investment of $700 million in relief funding for biofuel producers. These investments work with the goals of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which includes the largest ever federal investment in clean energy for the future.

It seems like great news for the future of biofuel and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to hear about these plans for funding. It is a very promising step forward to allow funding of grants up to $100 million in order to increase the use of biofuels from US agricultural products. The next big step is getting that funding, which might not be such a large issue since there are many investments like the ones mentioned in the article already taking shape. Since these biofuels derive from US agricultural products however, I do wonder exactly which US agricultural products will be used, as well as if that will interfere with the agricultural industry.

Burmahl, Beth. “Argonne National Laboratory.” Biofuel on the Road to Energy, Cost Savings, 10 Nov. 2022, https://www.anl.gov/article/biofuel-on-the-road-to-energy-cost-savings

Two new studies have found that biofuel combined with advanced engine design can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 60% while improving fuel efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory collaborated with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory on the research, which was supported by the Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative jointly led by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office and Vehicle Technologies Office. The research aims to develop new biofuels blended with conventional fuels to improve engine performance and reduce emissions.

Similar to other articles I researched, this one also discusses biofuels being mixed in with conventional fuels to help reduce fossil fuel emissions. This article however, seems very promising with the fact that this design can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 60 percent as well as improve fuel efficiency. Fuel efficiency can be sometimes overlooked in the topic of biofuel yet this method is here to include it and keep it as a priority while still having fuel that is good for the environment.

Yurk, Valerie. “Aviation Industry in Crosshairs for next Biofuel Push.” Roll Call, 24 Jan. 2023, https://rollcall.com/2023/01/23/aviation-industry-in-crosshairs-for-next-biofuel-push/

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are the renewable fuels that have been proven effective as an alternative source to regular jet fuel. The Biden administration is in support of SAF, setting a goal for the U.S. to produce enough to meet 100 percent of jet fuel demand by 2050. Additionally, NASA said it would partner with Boeing Co. to create a SAF-powered single-aisle aircraft. Congress has also included a tax credit of $1.25 per gallon for jet fuel blended with a percentage of SAF. It is a fact that commercial airplanes and large business jets contribute about 10 percent of transportation emissions, which is expected to triple by 2050 as air travel continues to grow, leaving some experts skeptical whether or not SAF can keep up with the growth of air travel. Trucking industry representatives have also raised concerns that a larger reliance on SAF will take away key feedstocks from biodiesel.

I find it alarming that the commercial airplanes and other jets contribute around 10 percent of transportation emissions. However, since that large 10 percent is the responsibility of one industry, if we were to manage this one industry we are able to manage 10 percent of transportation emissions, which would be extremely beneficial to the climate. As much as the Biden Administrations plan to meet 100 percent of the jet fuel demand by 2050 sounds promising, I am worried about this proposal since many plans similar to these don’t typically follow through. Like the article mentioned, I too am a little doubtful since air travels continues to grow alongside our growing population. However, what is something to look forward to is the involvement of companies like NASA that are jumping in to do their part with the implementation of SAF. With as many growing concerns that there are with SAF, there really isn’t any reason not to give it a shot as I don’t see much at risk and we need immediate action.

Kelly, Stephanie, and Jarrett Renshaw. “U.S. EPA Expected to Propose Biofuel Blending Requirements by End of Week -Sources.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 30 Nov. 2022, https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-epa-expected-propose-biofuel-blending-requirements-by-end-week-sources-2022-11-30/.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to propose the amount of renewable fuels that oil refiners must blend into their fuel mix for 2023 and beyond by the end of this week. The proposal will show how the Biden administration plans to use the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), provisions regarding electricity use under the law, going forward. Under the RFS, oil refiners are required to blend billions of gallons of biofuels into the nation’s fuel mix, or buy tradeable credits from those that do. While Congress set out specific goals through 2022, the law expands the EPA’s authority for 2023 and beyond to change the way the RFS is administered. Starting next year, the agency has leeway to set multi-year mandates and make other changes. The EPA is also expected to propose that electric vehicles be eligible for renewable fuel credits. Since it began more than a decade ago, the inclusion of electric vehicles into the RFS would be one of the largest changes to the program. Earlier this year, the EPA set biofuel blending mandates for 2022 at 20.63 billion gallons and retroactive volume mandates for 2021 at 18.84 billion gallons and for 2020 at 17.13 billion gallons.

It’s interesting to see the effect that electric vehicles are having on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) since they are much more common today than they were years ago. Also, combining a large amount of biofuel into our regular mix of the nation’s fuel is an incredible idea. This approach attacks the climates issue with fossil fuels right at the root of the problem. Instead of just making certain large corporations use biofuel, this will hopefully make almost every corporation use it since it will be in the regular fuel mix.

The Feedstock Challenge. (2022, August 5). Biofuels International. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://biofuels-news.com/news/the-feedstock-challenge/

The product and condition of biofuel can be important, however what can be more crucial is the pretreatment process. When oils and fats are processed, they need to be pretreated before they can be used as a biofuel. Each type of feedstock requires different treatment. For example, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) requires strict quality requirements than other processes. When using crude feedstock, it’s important that each delivery of it is analyzed for impurity before it can be used. Regardless if it’s used as a biofuel or not, the operation of the pretreatment is key for how effective and reliable the product is.

As many value the significance biofuel can bring us it is important to look at the hard work that goes into the pretreatment process for creating it. With biofuel possibly becoming more practiced in the future, it is really important that we have companies dedicated to pretreating the materials and supplying most of the pure fats and oils that will be used. As the backbones to producing biofuel, I believe that they are the reason we can utilize these materials and help solve the climate crisis going on in the world.

Saleh Ahmed, A., Rezaur Rahman, M., & Khusairy Bin Bakri, M. (2022, August 5). New bio-energy source for biofuel from indigenous kepayang fruit in Malaysia. Taylor & Francis Online. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17597269.2022.2107652

Kepayang fruit has been found as a great source for renewable biofuel production. It can be used to manufacture bioethanol, which is ethanol produced from plants and used as an alternative to gasoline. The process involves acid hydrolysis, fermentation, and distillation for bioethanol production. After multiple bioethanol and industrial ethanol tests, the kepayang fruit flesh produced high glucose and bioethanol concentrations. Additionally, 35 °C was tested as the best temperature for producing the largest bioethanol concentration.

The experiment this article has provided is helpful in showing a reliable source that can be used for biofuel effectively. It would be great to see the use of this bioethanol take place and see the positive impact it makes on the environment. However, the article doesn’t seem to go into any depth on the positive uses of this biofuel, especially in engines and vehicles. In other research and experiments, many demonstrations showed similar results. In the future, I hope to see more research done on kepayang fruit so we can utilize it as another great source for biofuel.

Harvey, F. (2022, July 14). Halt use of biofuels to ease food crisis, says green group. The Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/13/halt-use-of-biofuels-to-ease-food-crisis-says-green-group

As biofuel use mainly comes from crops, another issue arises which is food insecurity. Most crops used in the process are wheat, maize, and edible oils. With the Covid pandemic, war in Ukraine, and climate breakdown, The World Food Programme has warned that the rising prices are generating a food crisis around the world. Wheat and maize export from Ukraine is already under serious threat due to the Russian invasion. Shipments have been held up and harvests have been damaged by the war. Ending the EU’s requirement for biofuels would free up nearly a fifth of the potential wheat exports from Ukraine, which is enough to make a noticeable difference to limited food supplies. Additionally, the UK raised a proposal to review their use of biofuels, given the food security concerns.

Even though the implementation of biofuels in our daily lives seems beneficial to helping stop the climate crisis around the world, this article brings up an interesting opposition to that idea. The goal of biofuel is to help keep us and our atmosphere healthy, yet the growing food insecurity from it is hurting some of us more than we notice. Although the use of biofuel isn’t the main cause of growing food insecurity, it is contributing to the rising prices of crops. As amazing as it is that crops are being harnessed as a great source for biofuel, I believe we should take advantage of other recycled materials to ease the growing food crisis in the areas that need the most help.

Mofijur, M., Ashrafur Rahman, S. M., Nguyena, L., Mahlia, T. M. I., & Nghiema, L. D. (2022, February). Selection of Microalgae Strains for Sustainable Production of Aviation Biofuel. ScienceDirect. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960852421017508

After 17 candidate microalgae strains were evaluated, Chlorella sp. NT8a was found as the most suitable strain for use in aviation fuel production. Although it may seem like the perfect alternative, jet fuel requires the right density, heating value, and freezing points. Chlorella sp. NT8a does not meet these international jet fuel standards just yet but with the right processing and modification, this microalgae strain can be utilized as a beneficial alternative to fuel for the aviation industry.

The use of microalgae-based biofuel for aviation has great potential for being a substitute for regular jet fuel. As planes remain among the most polluting means of transport, it is important to find a way for air travel to contribute less CO2 emissions while still being able to fly us around. This solution could easily be the answer although Chlorella sp. NT8a still needs processing in order to meet the jet fuel standards. This means that the solution to biofuel use in air travel isn’t far from us if only we take action. With help from companies in the aviation industry, revisions to current jet fuel standards and improvements for processing microalgae can be made.

Hyundai Oilbank and Lotte ink biodiesel deal. (2022, August 2). Biofuels International. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://biofuels-news.com/news/hyundai-oilbank-and-lotte-ink-biodiesel-deal/

Hyundai Oilbank, a petroleum and refinery company, has signed a deal with Lotte Confectionery, the third-largest chewing gum manufacturer in the world. Both companies are located in South Korea and have signed a deal together to produce biodiesel. Being a food manufacturing company, Lotte Confectionery will supply Hyundai Oilbank with leftover products from the food manufacturing process that can be otherwise used as fuel, like leftover cooking oil. Hyundai Oilbank will be building a biodiesel production facility that takes up 10,000 sq ft and will be completed in 2023.

As pollution continues to become a rising problem for the world, enormous factories run by large companies are a great contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. With most factories around the world using fossil fuels to run their facilities, it is extremely beneficial that both Hyundai Oilbank and Lotte Confectionery have proposed a solution that decreases fossil fuel consumption a great amount and harnesses recycled materials as a source of fuel. Not only does this slow down the rate at which we dig fossil fuels from the ground, but it takes advantage of other by-products that would otherwise be thrown away or wasted. In the future, I hope to see other manufacturing companies take action and salvage the materials that are usually wasted. With help from companies like Hyundai Oilbank and Lotte Confectionary, we can encourage others to follow in their footsteps.