Atomic power in the form of nuclear reactors is one possible source of electricity that once was thought to be a terrific answer to the fossil fuel dilemma. However as events at several reactors over the years have shown, this answer might pose more and more deadly questions than it answers.

Alcohol is another answer and has the advantage of being renewable so that we aren’t going to run out of it any time soon. For automobiles ethanol additives are already being used and the technology necessary for alcohol exclusive vehicles has been available for years. Electric cars have been around for as long as automobiles have, but the technology is still evolving as far as the batteries are concerned.

Who needs alternative fuels? Everyone does. Who wants them? We all do.

There are several instances where successful recycling has been achieved. The use of rubber tires for starting kilns, as pre-heaters in wet or dry kilns.

One plant fired out dated corn seed, and cut their yearly fuel bill in half.

Where it is allowed, burning plant waste, has cleaned up the premises. No moving needed to an already overflowing landfill.

Other alternative fuel source wastes have been used, depending on what is most available in certain areas of the country. Wood fiber waste, animal and hospital wastes, and rice husks have all been successfully recycled. There are experiments going on now, with some wastes considered unrecoverable, which might have a future in cement plants.

Recycling household wastes are necessary for the earth’s future. This will take imagination, work, and efficient management to create uses for these waste materials.

You heard me correctly. Many other countries already use alternative energy sources, and Iceland is a fine example. 26 of their electrical energy is geothermal, as is 87 of their heating. They plan to be 100 fossil-fuel-free in the near future, and they are not alone. Germany, the world leader in solar energy, expects to provide 25 of its electricity needs with solar solutions by 2050, and parts of Sweden intend to be completely fossil-fuel-free through enhanced energy efficiency and increased usage of biofuel. China uses wind power, India burns biofuel, and Japan is currently making advances in hydrogen power plants, but the fact remains that the United States is still heavily dependant on oil.

However, there is progress here in the States. 7 of all electrical energy is provided with hydropower, and the budding wind power industry provides 1 as do solar an geothermal energy. Eventually we will meet our alternative energy responsibilities.

In the past the costs of producing biofuels was prohibitively expensive compared to the amount of fuel produced. There were many difficulties in production that made the price considerably higher than the cost of standard fuel costs. However, with the ever rising prices of standard gasoline biofuels are beginning to be seen as a true alternative. Every year that passes brings the cost of biofuel production down a little more. It will not be much longer before the cost of ethanol, biodiesel, and gasoline are virtually the same. In some locations it has already reached this point. In a few locations at present alternative fuels are actually less expensive than traditional fuels.

The only real issue with the usage of these fuels is that they do not provide as much raw fuel economy as gasoline. This means that the current types of biofuel require greater consumption of said alternative fuel per mile traveled. This increases the cost. In the future this will not be the case, however.

Most clean fuels are endlessly renewable, but aren’t practical today. Hydrogen fuel cells are a potential alternative, but there are serious technical challenges to deal with before this could happen. It takes a lot of energy to produce industrial hydrogen, for example, and at the moment this primarily comes from power plants that run on fossil fuels — we need cleaner power technology before we can rely on hydrogen as fuel.

Biodiesel could be used in the short term, because it works in any diesel engine and can be produced from common animal or vegetable fats. It won’t be widely available until it can be efficiently mass-produced without affecting food crop prices, probably by using algae or inedible plants as a source.

Right now, there are no easy replacements for traditional fuels. The science behind the alternatives makes sense, however, and their economic value is quickly catching up as public interest in them grows.

• Building the Next Generation Biofuels Industry: A Vision for 2011 and Beyond
• Where Are We on the Road to Next Generation Biofuels Commercialization Panel Discussion
• Global Ethanol Outlook Panel Discussion

Apart from offering numerous networking options, the conference is recognized as a great resource for accessing timely and relevant information pertaining to marketing, legislative, and regulatory issues.The title for this year’s conference is Building Bridges to a More Sustainable Future and the organizers recommend it for anyone in the following areas of interest:

• Ethanol producers and marketers
• Future producers
• Finance/Banking/Traders
• Gasoline marketers
• Transportation Industry
• Policymakers and government
• Ethanol Industry Suppliers
• Energy and Environment Officials
• Agricultural Leaders
• Academia

Contact the Association’s website for more information about registration, sponsorship opportunities, and hotel/travel information.

1. National Security – Biodiesel reduces our dependence on foreign oil and can play a major role in expanding domestic refining capacity thereby reducing our reliance on foreign relations. The 500 million gallons of biodiesel produced in the U.S. in 2007 displaced 20 million barrels of petroleum. Increased production and use of biodiesel will continue this trend. In addition, biodiesel is an extremely efficient fuel that creates 4.5 units of energy for every unit of fuel that is required to produce the fuel.
2. Cleaner Environment – Biodiesel is proven to reduce dangerous emissions which contribute to climate change. In other words, biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to voluntarily perform EPA Tier I and Tier II testing to quantify emission characteristics and health effects. That study found that B20 reduced total hydrocarbons by up to 30, carbon monoxide up to 20, and total particulate matter up to 15. Research also documents the fact that the ozone forming potential of the hydrocarbon emissions of pure biodiesel is nearly 50 less than that of petroleum fuel. Pure biodiesel does not contain sulfur and therefore reduces sulfur dioxide exhaust from diesel engines to virtually zero.
3. Health Benefits – Biodiesel is safer for people to breathe. Research conducted in the US shows biodiesel emissions have decreased levels of all target polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrited PAH (nPAH) compounds, as compared to petroleum diesel exhaust. PAH and nPAH compounds have been identified as potential cancer causing compounds. Targeted PAH compounds were reduced by as little as 50 percent and as much as 75 to 85 percent. Target nPAH compounds were also reduced dramatically with biodiesel fuel. These reductions are due to the fact the Biodiesel fuel contains no aromatic compounds.