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.

Burmahl, B. (2022, November 10). Biofuel on the road to energy, cost savings. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.anl.gov/article/biofuel-on-the-road-to-energy-cost-savings

Beth Burmahl’s “Biofuel on the road to energy, cost savings” article discusses recent research done by Argonne National Laboratory on biofuels for different engine types in the US. Burmahl brings to light that not only can biofuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 60%, they can improve fuel efficiency and become cost-effective competitors to non renewable energy sources. According to research done by Argonne, the Pacific Northwest, and Idaho National Laboratories, engine design is the key to advancing the efficiency of biofuels as well as maximizing vehicle performance. This research included using forestry byproducts like wood waste, agricultural byproducts like corn stover, and new tech such as fermentation, catalysis, and pressure. The results showed that many forms of biofuel compete with current costs of petroleum fuel, and ten of them “have the potential to reduce greenhouse gasses by 60% compared to petroleum gasoline.”

This November 2022 article discusses the more recent advancements of biofuels and focuses on the research, as it is published by a research facility. This means that it is likely to omit some of the important negative consequences of the new technologies, so it is important to take everything with a grain of salt. That being said, the fact that this research indicates such a high potential to reduce greenhouse gasses while being affordable is exciting and hopeful news. In addition, I’m glad that there are ways to create biofuels using the waste products of industries that are already present, instead of planting new crops and introducing much more nitrogen oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Fairley, P. (2022, December 13). The New Era of biofuels raises environmental concerns. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-new-era-of-biofuels-raises-environmental-concerns/

Peter Fairley’s December 13 article on Scientific American raises concerns about the effect of our increased usage of biofuels on our environment. Fairley prefaces by pointing out that one reason that biofuels are doing so well is because ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, oil has been harder to come by. Because of this, refiners are researching ways to meet the demands. Some are finding ways to process palm, soya, and canola oils, some are processing animal fat, and others are investing into bio-feedstocks. These expansions could further increase the demand for biofuels and decrease the demand for fossil fuels. However, 2022 reports show that biofuels may have the opposite result. After the 2022 US Renewable Fuel Standard required transportation fuel to contain a set amount of renewable fuel (like biofuels), all the diesel-fuel led tractors and fertilizers actually resulted in a net increase of the greenhouse gas effect. This is because the fertilizers used to produce biofuels release a byproduct of nitrogen oxide, which is nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Agronomists, crop geneticists, and carbon emission life-cycle scientists all agree that after the 2022 outcomes, we need to make “profound advances” in this field in order to make it sustainable.

Fairley’s article goes into depth both about why biofuels have become so popular, and why they are not currently helping our environment as much as the general public may think they are. I liked the explanation about the switch from oil to biofuel being caused by the war in Ukraine, and the article provided a lot of clarity by stating that nitrogen oxide is almost 300 times worse than carbon dioxide emissions. This explains why it may not be the best idea to switch from fossil fuels to biofuels, since farming with fertilizers releases nitrogen oxide. I think biofuels could be extremely helpful if they were produced organically. However, knowing that money is the first concern for manufacturers, it’s unrealistic that they will comply with regulations that force them to be totally organic because fertilizers would provide so much more income for them. So, I think it’s a long shot to try to solve our environmental problems with biofuels.