Session 11 - Group Web-based Project Presentations I

This session is very interesting with different groups presenting on different topics. Among the 4 groups, I like the topic on designer babies the best. Before I write about my opinions on the 4 groups and what I have learnt from them, I would like to comment on the quote shared by the Prof, “You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know” by Oscar Wilde. Indeed, we actually know more than what we think we know. It is only in urgent circumstances that we realize that we actually know more than what we think. We are able to defend for ourselves or debate with others with the knowledge we know and information that we do not even know that we know. On top of that, the information that we are unclear will prompt us to find out more about it. Thus, we actually know less than we want to know.

Designer Babies

Presentation:

I like the way they present by having a story behind it. There are different characters in the presentation and they will illustrate on their parts. The way the narrator starts off is quite sudden and is able to catch the audience’s attention. However, it will be better if they cut short on the information they present.

Website:

I like the design of the website. It is good that they have their reflections regarding this website and a poll to find out about the opinion of the public on designer babies. From their website, I learnt more about the different technologies used in designer babies such as Reprogenetic, Intro-vitro Fertilisation, Sperm Sorting and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis.

For Reprogenetic, choosing the traits of the future child can be good to prevent the particular gene to be inherited by the child, thus preventing the child to be borne with any defective diseases. However, from the website, there are low success rates and this can induce new mutations. As such, this technology is not really safe to be use. More research and development can be done in this aspect to increase the success of Reprogenetic.

For Sperm Sorting, I do not really approve the use of it. It can be beneficial to prevent the spread of sex-linked disease. However, this technology will determine the gender of the baby. This will allow humans to control the gender of babies. In the long run, the population will be affected as people control the genders of babies. If men are proven to be more successful than women, humans may choose to give birth to more boys. In the long run, countries may become chaotic as there is gender inequality and riots may break out to increase the rights of women. This will be disastrous.

Nanomedicine

Presentation:

Illustration by the speakers was interesting. One of the speakers was funny at times which can catch the attention of the audience.

Website:

There are quite a few videos in the website which can make the website look more interesting. I find the timeline present quite easy to comprehend. From this website, I learnt about some challenges of nanomedicine. For the social challenge, I learnt that the effects of nanomedicine is hard to predict and the chances of side effects are high should something go wrong. This will reduce the possibility that humans will take nanomedicine. We are not likely to go for cures that are not guaranteed unless we have no choice. Furthermore, nanotechnology may produce poisonous microparticles that can cross over to the brain. This is super dangerous since the brain is the most important part of us. This point alone will greatly reduce the use of nanomedicine.

In addition, nanomedicine may face economic challenge where a large amount of money is needed to purchase the machinery and products needed. However, this challenge can be overcome when people hope to live a better live that is free from illness. People will be willing to invest in nanomedicine if it is proven to be successful and is safe to use.

Space Travel and Tourism

Presentation:

This is an interesting topic! It is quite funny to start off like what the Prof will usually do but it did capture the audience attention! The video shown is interesting as well. It will be better if the information presented can be cut short.

Website:

The website is informative and I can see that the group has done much research about the topic. The tabs at the bottom could be moved to the side so that people are able to click on the tabs more easily. I have learnt more about space technology, the advantages and disadvantages about space technology. Focusing more on the future prospects of space technology, it will be really cool if we get to travel to space and stay in outer space. One example illustrated is the Lunar Resort. There will be pressurized guest rooms, recreational and medical facilities, and deep-space viewing platforms. As mentioned by the website, building of a resort on the moon will be costly and technically difficult. So is it really possible? It may not be viable in the short term but I look forward to it.

The Plastic Vortex

Presentation:

I like the presentation with a story behind. The information shared by the presenters was interesting. The presenters were able to catch the audience’s attention with the adverse effects of the plastic vortex such as a turtle being stuck in a plastic ring.

Website:

The website is awesome with the interesting headings. I like the way the information is presented like a diary format. I can tell that the presenters took a lot of effort to make the website. The information that caught my attention is the invention of a machine to recycle plastics into oil. This can generate fuels that are eco-friendly and safe. As such, the plastic waste is reduced and more fuels are produced to provide energy. This invention is greatly beneficial and can solve waste management problems and depletion of natural resources problem. From the website, the company is selling their machine to schools for educational purpose and some factories in Japan. I hope that this machine can be sold worldwide to reduce the problems of plastics. This website can definitely raise awareness about plastic vortex and allow people to think twice before they dump plastics into the seas.

I will rate this session 9.5 out of 10 because I have benefited from these presentations. I learnt more about the various topics.

Session 10 - Technology Assessment and Forecasting: Developing a Framework for Understanding What Comes Next

I find all the quote examples given by the Prof interesting and rather relevant to the current society. “My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there” by Charles Kettering is really applicable to the current situation. We should actually emphasize in creating a better future because we are going to spend the rest of our lives in the future. Whatever we do in creating a better future will benefit us when the time comes. The next quote by African Proverb is “Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”. This is so true as well. People who prepare the future now can then enjoy their lives in the future. For people who do not prepare for their future, they are less likely to see what is in there for them in the future. It is also similar to the idiom, “You reap what you sow”. Therefore, everyone should start to prepare for the future now so as to enjoy whatever the results of whatever we have done now.

Prof showed us a few videos which I find them interesting. One of the inventions in the video is an interactive newspaper. I think that it will be helpful to us because we can find out anything we want from the newspaper. The interactive newspaper can serve the same function as we search online. The news will also be reported immediately in the newspaper. This will make lives much easier for us as we get to know all the information immediately. One video states that all the high technology invention will only be available in about 984 years’ time. I think that this is quite impossible. Even though we should have confidence in our future, I think that this is unlikely to happen. We can imagine all we want, but some things are really not likely to happen. I find that all these happenings are like asking humans to fly which is quite impossible. Probably I might be wrong as if all these happen one day, but I really look forward to that day. If that really happens, life will be so much better. Another video is about the summary of all the inventions and technologies such as teleportation, cyber generation, virtual reality, interactive mind gear, Global Positioning System, robots, nano-robots and energy electric. The speaker summarizes the information about all these inventions and technologies in just one short video which I find it quite remarkable.

I learnt that to assess technology and forecast the future, we will have to understand what kind of changes will a new technology innovation brings about. We also have to know when and whether we should implement new technologies with a limited amount of resources. I learnt about the reasons why we should have strategic foresight such as analyzing the future potential of technologies, strategy development and public engagement, some commonly used foresight methodologies such as Delphi, backcasting, technology roadmapping and etc, and some common used for foresight output such as policy recommendations, analysis of trends and drivers and technology roadmaps. I never really heard about all these information and I am glad to learn more about it in this session. I also learnt that we should always have strategic planning and foresight to avoid surprises in the future.

The class then discussed about working back from future versus working toward future. Working back from future can frees us from past and allows us to work with less constrains. It also prevents us from just dealing with current situation and we are more likely to really work for future. However, estimates and foresight may be inaccurate. On the other hand, working towards future can be good in a way that we can rely on experience to bring us further. However, when we work towards future, we may face restrictions. We may consider all the various restrictions for any idea that we come up with. This will limit ourselves and we cannot really go far. Hence, I find working from future more beneficial for us. Even though we may not have prior knowledge and experiences, but we are allowed to really come up with something that is new and innovative without much constraints.

Prof then mentioned about seeds of tomorrow is already here, it is just a matter of finding them. I agree with him. We are able to start growing the seeds now so as to enjoy the harvest in the future. If we are able work hard for the future, we will be able to find the route to take and thus be able to plant the seeds now. Thus for now, we will have to think of what to do which will allow to find the seeds that we want.

Next, I learnt from one presenter about the differences between predicting versus shaping. Predicting is you will know about something while shaping is you will decide something. In shaping the future, we can use the technology available to create the future that we want. We are able to minimize the bad and maximize the good. Thus, we will have to identify the bottleneck to make things go and shape the future that we want. Prof then ended the session with a recap about the three different birds, dodo bird, eagle and ostrich. I hope to be like an eagle!

I will rate this session 9 out of 10 because I get to know more about assessing technology and forecasting.

Session 9 - Emerging and Future Technologies

Indeed, this session was quite interesting. This session taught me to think how things can possibly go. If we limit ourselves too much, we cannot go too far. We will have to break the barriers and go beyond. I like the quote by Albert Einstein. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” In my opinion, I think that both imagination and knowledge are important. With knowledge but no imagination, you cannot go far and you will be unable to see the future. With imagination but no knowledge, the things that you imagine may be totally impossible. Imagining something that will definitely not happen is pointless because we are unable to carry out. However, it is good to imagine because with imagination, you can make it happen. This will allow us to come across different possible interesting things.

One invention that I find it quite interesting is human robots. I find them rather amazing! Human robots can serve as a life companion for people and can also help people to perform task. I find one useful application of human robots will be to defend the country. Human robots can be used to defend countries that face a shortage of people to defend the country or competing with other areas such as research and development for people. Humans can focus on research and development while robots are defending the country. One downside is that human robots can result in overpopulation in certain countries as these robots compete for jobs with humans. This may cause social unrest and affect the development of the country.

Another invention that I wish it will come true is seeing all the information of objects we are interested in through a pair of spectacles. This will be so convenient for us! By then, we can just find out more about anything that we are interested in immediately when we look at it. This will allow us to make any decision on the spot without having to go back and look for information. Everything will 

be happening at a faster pace with information being easily available.

Prof mentioned something like we should create a fair society when people enjoy being humans. I totally agree with what he said. We can invent things such as robots and machine to make lives easier and convenient for us, but this should not affect the lives of other humans such as causing them to lose their jobs and thus source of income. I find it rather meaningless if making the lives of some people better will make lives of other people worse. This will be unfair to the poor and less knowledgeable people as they are the ones that will normally be retrenched if robots are to replace humans to do the manual work. Hence, it is important to create a fair society when people enjoy being humans and are able to live in content.

The presentations for this session are all quite interesting. Some of the presentations include virtual reality, 3D printing and artificial intelligence. I find virtual reality quite shocking. When the presenter showed us a video of how people can be so wild over a virtual person, I was really shocked. I found it quite unbelievable. Everyone is cheering for the virtual person onstage. This shows that virtual reality is affecting people in our society nowadays and people may be too involved in it. This can be quite harmful because people are now affected by something that does not even exist. Some actions have to be taken to reduce virtual reality. In addition, another student presented on 3D printing and I find it quite interesting and cool. We are even able to print 3D artifact at home which is so convenient. However, I am quite puzzled of how do people set the dimension of how to print the 3D artifact and whether there is a limit to how big the 3D artifact must be.

The last presenter of the session talked about Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). One issue for concern regarding robots is intelligence surplus by robots. Even though robots may be following orders by humans currently, will robots be able to decide for themselves in the future? Humans may order robots to kill other humans but will the robots turn back and kill their owners? If that happens, robots are not as beneficial as many think. Robots may one day be smarter than humans and take over everything that humans have. This will really be disastrous! This is therefore something that humans should consider when they decide to create more robots. I think that humans should develop robots that we can control and are able to keep track of so that we will not be controlled by them instead.

I will rate this session 9 out of 10 because I find this session very interesting with all the videos, information and presentations.

Session 8 - Energy and World Change (Past, Present and Future)

I enjoy this session because I am quite interested about the different sources of energy and whether other sources of energy can replace fossil fuels in the future. In this session, we talked about shifting from our current unsustainable fossil fuel-based energy intensive economy to an environmentally sound and sustainable clean and green approach. I agree with this statement totally due to a few reasons. Firstly, one common argument is that burning of fossil fuel produces a large amount of carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas. This can worsen global warming and it has been a problem for many countries. Thus, there is a need to find alternative energy which is more environmentally friendly. Secondly, continuous use of fossil fuels will deplete natural resources. As a result, the future generation may not have enough natural resources. This prevents sustainable development because depletion of natural resources compromises the needs of the future generation. Lastly, there is a need to start shifting to environmental friendly and sustainable approach and try to make clean and renewable energy the main provider of energy because shortage of energy will result if countries only change to other energy sources when fossil fuels are completely used up. Even though other sources of energy alone are insufficient to meet our energy demand currently, they still contribute to meet the increased in energy demand. In addition, if countries are willing to research more on alternative energy, more new energy alternatives can be found and other energy alternatives may contribute most of the energy in the future.

Prof mentioned that energy is a source of income in some countries. One example is that petroleum is a major contributor to the wealth of certain countries. I think that these countries have to look for other sources of income as natural resources cannot last forever. When their natural resources run out, these countries’ economy will be greatly affected. These countries can try to invest in environmentally energy alternative which can be a profitable aspect in the future as many may depend on energy alternative.

Another issue that I think is a major concern for global warming is global carbon trading. It is gaining popularity which can be harmful. Global carbon trading works in a way that countries can produce the amount of carbon based on the carbon credits the countries have. Hence, rich countries can afford to purchase more carbon credits to produce more carbon. This can put poorer countries at disadvantage as they cannot afford to purchase carbon credits which can affect their development as they are unable to increase their manufacture of products. Nevertheless, the cost of production in richer countries increases with purchase of more credits which may drive some companies out of the economy. If countries who are efficient enough by producing less carbon, they can sell off their carbon credits as well. One problem with this global carbon trading is that it does not reduce carbon emission; it merely changes the location where carbon is emitted. Hence, I think that a limit should still be placed on how much carbon a country can produce. Legislation should be in placed to ensure success in reducing carbon emission.

Before this session, I have never thought that energy can actually be categorized into 2 types, above ground and below ground. All the sources of energy that are above ground come from the sun. These include solar energy, wind power, water energy and wave energy. On the other hand, sources of energy from below the ground are ancient sources of solar energy. These include coal, oil, gas, thermal and uranium.

Other than that, Prof told us one shocking fact that is the sun actually provides more energy to the Earth in one hour than humankind currently uses in an entire year. It was really shocking that the sun provides a lot of energy but we use so little. I find it quite sad that we do not make full use of the energy provided by the sun as doing so will reduce the possibility that we face energy shortage. In fact, countries are all thinking of ways to obtain more energy from different sources when actually the sun can actually meet our demand for energy in less than one hour. The question now is how do countries actually maximize the large amount of energy provided the sun? I guess that countries can focus on this aspect so as to utilize the energy provided by the sun fully.

Towards the end of the session, Prof posted a question to the class if the world is able to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050. In my opinion, I do not think so. I think that the world will only achieve 100% renewable energy when fossil fuels are completely depleted. As fossil fuels are able to produce more energy as compared to renewable energy, countries are still choosing fossil fuels over renewable energy. Even though there are countries that are using renewable energy, but the problem is that as long as fossil fuels exist, countries will still choose fossil fuels to produce energy. The world is also only able to achieve 100% renewable energy if renewable energy alone is able to meet the increased energy demand. I believe that countries will continue to research more on renewable energy to find more energy alternatives and make renewable energy more efficient so that countries no longer have to depend on fossil fuels.

I will rate this session 8 out of 10 as I learnt more about energy and this session makes me think of how energy plays an important role in our society such that countries are always finding different sources of energy to meet their needs.

Individual Topical Review Paper - Biofuel and Its Technologies

Executive Summary

This report will outline how fossil fuels are slowly replaced by biofuels. Fossil fuels contribute a large amount of energy that we use, but it is non-renewable. In addition, due to its limited supply and the environmental pollution fossil fuels brought about when they are burnt, fossil fuels cannot be a long term solution to meet the increased energy demand. Thus, other energy alternatives are needed. This report will focus more on the use of different types of biofuels and its relevant technologies to produce energy to meet the increased energy demand, and how the use of biofuels has changed the world. Biofuel can be used to replace fossil fuels mainly because it is unlimited, renewable and contributes less to environmental damage. Nevertheless, there are also issues regarding the use of biofuels such as biofuels competing for land with food crops grown for consumption and energy used to produce biofuels is more than the energy produced by biofuels which will be discussed in the later part of the report. The report will end off with the future of biofuels, and the need to improve on current energy sources and find more new energy sources to meet the energy demand.

Introduction

By 2025, energy demand is expected to increase by 50% with developing countries contributing the most to the increase in energy demand. Energy used today largely comes from fossil fuels which are limited, non-renewable and polluting. As fossil fuels are formed by decomposition of dead organisms, a natural process that takes millions of years, fossil fuels cannot be a long term solution to the energy demand. The extremely long process of making fossil fuels causes us to be unable to replace fossil fuels at the same rate as we use them, limiting the supply of fossil fuels. Hence, other alternative energies are required to meet the high demand of energy. Some of the alternatives to fossil fuels include renewable energy, non conventional oil, air engine and hydrogen.

Renewable energy is one of the effective solutions to meet the increased energy demand because it is environmentally friendly and economic to produce. Some examples of renewable energy include solar energy, wind power and biofuels. Non conventional oil is a type of fuel that is similar to fossil fuels but it requires more energy to be produced, making it less efficient as a source of energy. Air engine is a recent technique that involves the use of compressed air as fuel. Compressed air which is cheaper than other form of energy can reduce the cost of producing energy greatly, making it cost-effective to produce. For hydrogen, chemical energy stored in it can be removed and used to meet the energy demand. However, hydrogen is limited and cannot be a long term solution to energy demand. Other form of energy may also be required to produce hydrogen which can be dangerous process as hydrogen is highly flammable.

Focusing on renewable energy, solar energy and wind power can be good energy alternatives. Airflows are used to run wind turbines which produces wind power while solar energy is produced from the sun through solar radiation. However, the production of wind power and solar energy depends on the climate. This means that winds have to be strong and constant to produce wind power and there has to be strong sunlight to produce solar energy. On the other hand, biofuel is largely made from biomass. Biomass, a plant material, is a renewable energy source because it contains energy from the sun via photosynthesis and produces energy when it is burnt. Continuous production of biomass allows biofuels to be made, increasing the supply of biofuels. Biofuels are preferred over solar power and wind power because even countries with unsuitable conditions to produce wind power and solar power can grow food crops to make biofuels to produce energy for their own use. This also applies to the poor countries that do not have the resources to build turbines and solar panels to produce wind and solar power respectively. Hence, biofuels can be produced widely in the world.

Biofuel is an organic fuel made from biomass which is plant materials or agricultural waste. Energy from biofuels comes from biological carbon fixation which is a process of photosynthesis in plants. Even though fossil fuels are made from once living food crops, they are not considered as biofuels because the carbon in them is "out" of the carbon cycle for a long period of time since fossil fuels are buried underneath the Earth’s surface for millions of years. Fossil fuels have to be extracted from underground before it can be used to provide energy. On the other hand, biofuel is produced by mankind in a shorter period of time as food crops are grown and processed to produce biofuels. This allows us to produce biofuels at the same rate as we burn biofuels to produce energy, reducing the possibility that biofuels will run out

Historical Perspective

Before biofuels are used, fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas are largely used to produce energy for transportation and generation of electricity, and used as raw materials for petrochemical industry. In 2002, coal, petroleum and natural gas took up 79.6% of primary energy production.

Coal

Coal is a combustible rock which is formed when heat and pressure turned plant remains in the underground into coal. Coal is used mainly as an energy source for heat and electricity. It can also be used to run furnaces for melting metal ore, fire steam engines, produce electricity and heat through combustion. However, burning coal can produce a huge amount of bottom ash and fly ash which can pollute the air. As coal contains toxic elements such as copper, lead, mercury and zinc, its ashes can contaminate water as well. Coal mining also generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas which can worsen global warming greatly. Other negative effects brought about by coal mining include reduced groundwater supplies as water is drained away for coal mining and destruction of wildlife as small animals living underground may be killed in the process of coal mining. Furthermore, transportation of coal requires the use of diesel-powered locomotives which requires the burning of more fossil fuels to provide energy.

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring liquid present beneath the Earth’s surface. It is formed by the slow change of organic remains over time. It is used to power vehicles, generate electricity and as raw materials for furniture, packing materials and chemical products such as pharmaceuticals, fertilizers and pesticides. Most importantly, all plastic which is widely used is made from petroleum. However, production of petroleum involves extraction through oil drilling, refining and transporting by oil tankers. Oil drilling can be a hazard to aquatic organisms as oil spills can occur. Oil spills in the sea pollutes the water and causes death of aquatic organisms. Layer of oil on top of the sea can prevent photosynthesis of marine plants and oil can coat the fur of marine organisms which results in insulation inabilities and temperature fluctuations in the organisms, leading to their death eventually. A large amount of resources are required to clean the sea. In addition, infrastructure for oil drilling damages the ecosystem as plants and animals have to be relocated to provide space for infrastructure. Oil refineries may also dump toxic waste into nearby water, polluting the water and affecting the health of the people who consume the toxic water.

Natural Gas

Natural gas comes from the ground like coal and petroleum as a gas. It is a major source of electricity generation through use of gas turbines and steam turbines. It is also an important raw material for the production of fertilizers, paper and chemicals. Natural gas is also used to process food and to treat waste materials for incineration. Natural gas is found together with coal and has to be processed to remove other materials other than methane. As natural gas contains mainly methane, natural gas itself is considered as a greenhouse gas. Even though natural gas is released into the environment in smaller quantities, natural gas is more potent than carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas. Natural gas is able to worsen global farming at a faster rate. Methane from natural gas also traps twenty times more of radiation as compared to carbon dioxide, making natural gas highly dangerous.

Problems associated with the use of fossil fuels

Fossil fuels cannot be a long term solution to provide energy due to the various problems below.

First, fossil fuels are non-renewable. They are natural resources that are finite and will be depleted eventually. Continuous use of fossil fuels results in fast depletion of natural resources whereby fossil fuels are used faster than they are made. When fossil fuels are used up completely, it takes millions of years to produce fossil fuels. This means that fossil fuels cannot be produced within a short period of time to replenish the used fossil fuels. Since fossil fuels may run out in the future, there is a need to find other energy alternatives to meet the demand for energy.

Second, fossil fuels can lead to a chain of harmful effects whereby one leads to another. Burning of fossil fuels produces a high amount of carbon dioxide, the number one greenhouse gas. It is statistically proven that more than 90% of greenhouse gas emission comes from the burning of fossil fuels, showing that burning of fossil fuels contribute the most to the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Huge emission of carbon dioxide can worsen global warming which is extensive and has many adverse effects such as climate change and rise in temperature. Higher temperature can melt the ice in the Arctic and Antarctica, resulting in a rise in sea level. A rise in sea level can be detrimental to the people as flooding occurs. Hence, it can be seen that burning of fossil fuels have a chain effect on the people and their environment.

Third, burning of fossil fuels produces other pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. These pollutants are detrimental to human health and can lead to lung problems. Sulphuric, carbonic and nitric acids which form acid rain are also produced from the burning of fossil fuels. Acid rain can damage plants and buildings. Fossil fuels can be a hazard as they contain radioactive materials such as uranium and thorium. Burning of fossil fuels causes these radioactive materials to be released into the atmosphere, increasing the risk of cancer in humans.

Last, fossil fuels can lead to land and water pollution. Coal mining affects the land that is being mined. Coal mining removes the topsoil and causes the land to be barren. This will cause the land to be wasted as plants cannot be grown. Other materials other than coal are also extracted from underground in the coal mining process and are left as solid wastes. Burning of coal also produces ashes which are left as waste products. Waste products from fossil fuels can pollute the environment and take up space that can be used for other purposes. Oil spill as mentioned above can pollute the sea and cause death of plants and animals.

Current Situation

Fossil fuels are still being used today but countries are trying to change to biofuels and some are already using biofuels as problems with fossil fuels are causing countries to change from fossil fuels to biofuels slowly to produce energy. The use of biofuels has in fact expanded throughout the world because biofuels can be easily produced as the raw materials for production of biofuels are plants and food crops which are common. Some of the food crops that are grown in various countries to produce biofuels are switchgrass, soybeans and corn in the United States, sugar beet and wheat in Europe, cassava and sorghum in China and miscanthus and palm oil in South-East Asia.

In 2010, worldwide biofuel production was 105 billion liters, an increase of 17% from 2009. Some countries also aim to increase the use of biofuels for transportation purpose. Two examples are that the US aims to replace 30% of petroleum with biofuels by 2025 and India sets a goal to increase the use of biofuels from 5% to 20% by 2012.

Biofuels can be catergorized into two types, first generation biofuels and second generation biofuels. First generation biofuels are fuels that come from sources like sugar, starch and vegetable oil, and animal fats with the use of conventional technology. They include bioalcohols, biodisel and biogas. Second generation biofuels are biofuels made from remaining non-food parts of crops such as stems, leaves and husks which are left behind after the food crops are harvested, non food crops such as switchgrass, grass and cereals, and industrial waste such as woodchips and carbon monoxide. Many second generation biofuels are still undergoing development. Some examples of second generation biofuels are cellulosic ethanol, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, biohydrogen and biomethanol. Algae fuel is a third generation biofuel derived from algae. This is also called as oilgae.

First Generation Biofuel Technology

There are three methods to produce first generation biofuels. The three types of first generation biofuels, bioalcohols, biodiesel and biogas will illustrate the first generation biofuel technology. Bioalcohols are made from food crops which undergo fermentation. Biodiesel is made by transesterification where glycerine in animal fats, vegetables and oils are separated from the biofuel. This process also purifies the biofuel. Biogas illustrates that bio waste is converted to biofuels.

Bioalcohols - Fermentation

Bioalcohols are made by the process of fermentation whereby enzymes break up sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohols without the use of oxygen in plants, producing energy. Bioalcohols can be further catergorized to bioethanol and biobutanol.

Production of bioethanols includes enzyme digestion where starch is broken down into sugars, fermentation of sugars where sugar is further broken down to carbon dioxide and alcohol without oxygen, distillation which requires energy for heat and drying. Bioethanol can replace petroleum or can be mixed with petroleum to any percentage for in vehicles to reduce air pollution. In addition, bioethanol has a high composition of octane which increases engine’s compression ratios, improving thermal efficiency. However, there are also some disadvantages regarding the use of bioethanols. Lower energy density of bioethanols as compared to that of petroleum requires the use of more bioethnols to produce the same amount of energy. The net energy content coming from bioethanols is also very small as production of bioethanols require a large amount of energy with the use of farm equipment, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides made from petroleum and irrigation systems and processes such as transportation and processing of plants, fermentation, distillation and drying. The downside of bioethnols causes counties to be less willing to reduce the use of petroleum and produce bioethanols to produce energy. Nevertheless, the technology of biofuels has resulted in the development of cellulosic ethanol made from non-food sources such as trees and grasses. This can reduce the cost of production of bioethanols as these raw materials are cheaper. The use of bioethnols may have some drawbacks as mentioned above but bioethanols are still essential to prevent the depletion of petroleum and to produce energy mainly for transportation purpose.

Biobutanol is produced by Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation which is a process that uses bacteria fermentation to break down starch into acetone, butanol and ethanol. Genetic engineering used in E. coli also produces biobutanols by taking control of its amino acid metabolism. Experiments have shown that biobutanol is more energy efficient with a relatively high net energy gain which allows it to replace petroleum totally and to be directly used in petroleum engines without modification to the engines. Being less corrosive and less water soluble, biobutanols can be transported with existing infrastructures. These properties make biobutanols an ideal replacement of petroleum.

Biodisel - Transesterification

Biodisel is produced from oil crops such as palm and soybean, animal fats and vegetable oils using transesterification which is a reversible reaction when one ester is converted to another with the interchange of ester groups. It is produced from the chemical reaction between biomass and sodium hydroxide.

Transesterification can be illustrated using waste vegetable oil as an example below.

1.      Waste vegetable oil is slightly heated to reduce their viscosity and filtered with the use of coffee filter to remove all the food particles.

2.      Water present in the remaining gangue is removed to speed up the process. Boiling the liquid at 100 degree Celsius for a period of time can remove the water easily.

3.      Titration which is the most essential part of manufacturing biofuels is carried out to determine the amount of lye which is a catalyst needed.

4.      Methanol is mixed with sodium hydroxide to produce sodium methoxide. The proportion of methanol to waste vegetable oil is 1:5.H

5.      Waste vegetable oil and sodium methoxide are mixed and heated at about 125 degree Fahrenheit.

6.      The mixture is left to cool down. After the cooling process, the biofuel will be floating at the top while the heavier glycerin will sink to the bottom. The glycerin is then separated frm the biofuel by draining it out from the bottom. The biofuel is now purified.

Biodisel is mainly used as a fuel for in biodisel engine of vehicles. The use of biodiesel in biodisel engine leads to high compression ratio which makes biodiesel more efficient as compared to petroleum. Being less flammable and explosive than petroleum, biodiesel is largely used for military purpose such as tanks and trucks. In addition, diesel-powered vehicles produce less greenhouse gas than vehicles that run on petroleum. Biodisel also has higher energy per litre as compared to that of petroleum, making biodiesel highly efficient. Furthermore, biodiesel helps to clean the engine chamber of carbon deposits, maintaining the efficiency of biodiesel engine. As biodiesel is an oxygenated fuel which contains a low amount of carbon and a higher amount of hydrogen and oxygen than fossil diesel, it is able to enhance the combustion of biodiesel and reduce the emissions of un-burnt carbon. Biodiesel is also safe to handle and transport because it is biodegradable and has a low toxic content and a higher temperature at which it is vaporised than petroleum. As biodiesel is an effective solvent which cleans residues by dissolving them, engine filters in fuel tank and pipes have to be changed frequently.

Biogas – Waste to biofuels

Biogas is produced by either the anaerobic digestion of the waste which is an organic material by anaerobes or the biodegradation of waste materials such as manure of animals which are poured into anaerobic digesters. The biogas produced has high methane content which can worsen global warming, thus it can be improved from biological treatment waste processing systems. Biogas can be used for electricity production in sewage works or burnt for heat. Moreover, compressed and concentrated biogas can be used in vehicles. Methane within biogas can also be concentrated using a biogas upgrader and the processed product is cleaned by removing impurities in biogas such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfides and siloxanes to produce biomethane which is a more environmentally biofuel. The by product of the production of biogas which is digestate can be used as a fertilizer for agricultural purpose or as a biofuel. The use of waste materials to generate energy can reduce waste management problems including land pollution, emission of greenhouse gas and the use of fossil fuels. One downside of biogas is that the use of naturally occurring anaerobic digesters can produce a less clean form of biogas called the landfill gas which can worsen global warming if it is released as it comprises a large proportion of methane, a potent greenhouse gas found in natural gas as well.

Issues with First Generation Biofuel and its technologies

Even though first generation biofuels can replace fossil fuels as an alternative to produce energy, they are made from food crops. This reduces food supply as land is now used to grow crops to produce biofuels instead of growing crops for consumption purpose for the population. This results in competition of food between people and biofuels, creating a food versus fuel debate worldwide. In severe cases, shortages of food may occur. This can worsen poverty problems and create riots as people fight for food. Therefore, there is a need to come up with biofuls that can produce energy and will not compete for food with the people to reduce social problems.

When too much food crops are used to make first generation biofuels, low food supply can increase the price of food. This may result in food price riots, creating a large economic problem for countries. Producers may set a very high price for the limited food supply to earn profits. This may be at a disadvantage to the poor who cannot afford the expensive food. This will worsen poverty as well and create riots as people fight for food. From a broader perspective, world food prices will be greatly affected by countries who are mainly involved in the production of food crops as they increase the price of food. Hence, overuse of food to produce biofuels can create serious economic problems for the individual country and as a whole for all countries.

In addition, to meet the increased energy demand, more food crops are grown to produce more biofuels. This results in an increased clearing of lands, leading to deforestation. This can worsens global warming as more carbon dioxide is produced and less carbon dioxide is absorbed by the trees. Burning of trees to clear the land can produce a large amount of carbon dioxide. This will offset the greenhouse gas savings from the use of biofuels. Deforestation also reduces biodiversity and destroys the habitats of many animals. On top of that, frequent clearing of land can also increase the amount of runoff, increasing the rate of soil erosion. Frequent clearing of land and soil erosion can make the land less arable to grow crops which can eventually lead to a large amount of barren land as crops no longer can be grown on the land. This may affect the development of countries who depend on production of food crops as a source of income as there is a shortage of arable land. Hence, production of biofuels from excessive use of food crops can lead to serious environmental problems that affect animals as well as the development of the country.

Making first generation biofuels from plants can be very wasteful as only the sugary parts of the plant are used. This leaves behind leaves, seed husks, and stalks. Growing of food crops also requires high agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and water. The use of more fertilizers will limit the greenhouse gas reductions that can be attained with the use of biofuels instead of fossil fuels as more methane, another greenhouse gas, is now produced. Furthermore, more water resources are also used to water the crops, reducing the water supply for the people. Sever cases may also lead to water shortages. These problems may make the production of biofuels less cost-effective.

First generation biofuel technologies are useful, but they are limited. This means that the technologies are unable to produce sufficient biofuels without affecting food supplies and biodiversity. The success of first generation biofuel technologies depends on the raw materials required to produce biofuels. The technologies may be very developed and effective which allows the production of a large amount of biofuels with a low input of raw materials, but there is still a limit to how much biofuels are produced with a limited amount of raw materials. In addition, many first generation biofuel technologies are encouraged based on subsidies given by the government, they are not as cost effective as compared to fossil fuels. Companies in various countries may still choose fossil fuels over biofuels.

Second Generation Biofuel Technology

Second generation biofuel technology is developed as first generation biofuels have limitations which are illustrated above. Second generation biofuels can solve the problems that first generation biofuels have brought about and at the same time provide a larger supply of fuel that are environmental friendly, sustainable and affordable. Second generation biofuels can produce more energy than first generation biofuels and the non-food crops used to produce second generation biofuels can be grown on poorer quality of land. In addition, second generation biofuels provide a greenhouse gas savings of 90% which is higher than first generation biofuels that provide a 20-70% of greenhouse gas savings.

Second generation biofuel technology involves the extraction of useful raw materials from woody or fibrous biomass from non-food part of crops, non food crops and industrial waste. Since all plants contain lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose which are complex carbohydrates that are more difficult to be broken down, complex carbohydrates from non-food crops are used to produce biofuels. One such method is the biochemical method. It involves enzymes and other micro-organisms which convert cellulose and hemicellulose to sugars before fermentation of the sugars to produce biofuel. Cellulosic ethanol can illustrate the biochemical method. On the other hand, industrial waste such as carbon monoxide can be converted into biofuels using the Fischer–Tropsch process which converts a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide into liquid form of biofuels. The LanzaTech Process by a New Zealand company is an example of the Fischer–Tropsch process where carbon monoxide is converted to biofuels.

Cellulosic Ethanol – Biochemical Method

Production of cellulosic ethanol involves the use of non-food parts of crops, non-food crops or waste products. Lignocellulose is the woody structural part of plants. The supply of this raw material is unlimited and diverse which allows mass production of cellulosic ethanol. However, producing ethanol from cellulose can be a tough problem as it is hard to break down cellulose to glucose or sugar. Experimental processes are developed in laboratories to break down cellulose into sugar using enzymes, steam heating or other treatments and the sugars produced are fermented and distilled using first generation biofuel technology to produce bioethanol. These experiments have helped scientists to use synthetic biology to find five more highly stable fungal enzyme catalysts that break down cellulose into sugars at high temperatures, making the production of cellulosic ethanol in laboratories more easily. Lignin, a by-product of the manufacture of cellulosic ethanol is also produced. It can be burned to produce heat and power. Since lignin is carbon neutral, it will not contribute greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

Fischer–Tropsch process

The Fischer-Tropsch process is a Gas-to-Liquid process which converts natural gas or other gaseous hydrocarbons into longer-chain liquid hydrocarbons such as petroleum or diesel. Before this process, plant matters are gasified to produce synthesis gas (syngas), a gas that comprises of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen with the use of intense heat and pressure. Syngas is a first generation biofuel that can burn cleanly to provide energy, minimising environmental pollution. It can also be used as a raw material in the Fischer-Tropsch process since it comprises of carbon monoxide. The Fischer-Tropsch process involves a series of chemical reaction such as net hydrogenation of carbon monoxide, the hydrogenolysis of carbon-oxygen bonds, and the formation of carbon-carbon bonds. All these reactions are carried out at high temperatures of 150 – 300 degree Celsius as high temperature speeds up the process.

The Fischer-Tropsch process produces Fischer-Tropsch diesel which is a substitute for petroleum. This will reduce the use of petroleum, reducing the rate of depletion of natural resources. Fischer-Tropsch diesel produced also contains a low amount of sulfur which reduces the possibility of the production of sulfur dioxide which forms acid rain and is detrimental to human health. However, the Fischer-Tropsch process requires a large amount of money for the equipment required for this process and the operation and maintenance of the equipment. The gasification to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen consumes a large amount of energy which increases the cost of producing Fischer-Tropsch diesel.

This is an example of the use of the Fischer-Tropsch process. Scientists working with Lanzatech, a New Zealand company, developed a technology called the LanzaTech Process. This technology converts carbon monoxide, produced by industries, gasification of forestry and public waste into biofuels and chemical products. Carbon monoxide is fed into the bioreactor at the bottom and is distributed into the liquid medium. As the liquid medium move upwards in the bioreactor, it is slowly consumed by the microbes to undergo microbial fermentation. At the end of fermentation, the liquid is taken out and sent to a hybrid separation system where the essential products are extracted from it. The products can be directly used as a fuel or chemical products or converted into other chemicals that are made from petroleum. This technology is not affected by the gas impurities and hydrogen in carbon monoxide and water is not wasted in this process as water is reused in the bioreactor. Most importantly, this technology allows the reuse of carbon, minimising environmental damage and preventing depletion of natural resources.

Other Second Generation Biofuels

A research done by Jack Pronk in Delft University of Technology has shown that modification of elephant yeast can create ethanol from non-edible sources such as straw. An experiment conducted in Montana State University also proved that Gliocladium Roseum, a fungus from the Patagonian rainforest and grows on wine grapes, can grow on cellulose and break down cellulose, producing hydrocarbons out of cellulose that are similar to those in diesel. This has resulted in the name, myco-diesel, of the fuels produced by the fungus. Even though this fungus produces less myco-diesel when it digests cellulose as compared to sugars, developments in fermentation technology and genetic engineering can increase the production.

Other second generation biofuels include biohydrogen and biomethanol. Biohydrogen is hydrogen produced from waste organic materials by algae and bacteria. It can also be formed from syngas using catalysts. Biohydrogen is used in fuel cells to produce electricity. Biomethanol is also formed from syngas using catalysts. Biomethanol is used to provide energy in vehicles.

Issues with Second Generation Biofuel and its technologies

Second generation biofuels may still involve making fuels from food crops as non-food crops may be food crops to others. This will still result in competition of food with the population. Growing of non-food crops also compete for land that are used to grow food crops for consumption purpose.

Issues with Biofuels as a whole

As biofuels generally have lower energy content per unit of volume as compared to fossil fuels, companies may choose to use fossil fuels which are more efficient instead. Furthermore, lower energy content of biofuels result in the use of more biofuels to produce the same amount of energy that can be provided by a lower amount of fossil fuels. This will require the use of larger and heavier fuel tanks to travel the same distance or more fuel stops to transport the biofuels as compared to that of fossil fuels. This will increase the costs of transporting biofuels greatly, making biofuels less cost-effective.

Furthermore, the processes of growing the crops, making fertilizers and pesticides, and processing the crops into biofuels consume a large amount of energy. This results in conflicts of whether biofuels can actually provide more energy than is required to grow and process it. Energy used in the production or transportation of biofuels comes from fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. This will still deplete the natural resources and the energy produced by biofuels do not replace as much fossil fuels used. The issue of whether production of biofuels meets the sustainability criteria is thus being debated worldwide

How has Biofuels changed the World (Advantages of using biofuels)

Despite the issues regarding the use of first generation biofuels and second generation biofuels, it cannot be denied that biofuels do help to provide some energy that we need today. Biofuels may not produce as much energy as fossil fuels, but they can help to contribute to some of the energy demand. Biofuels allow countries to be less reliant on fossil fuels and to use alternatives to provide energy. This can greatly reduce the depletion of fossil fuels which can be helpful in ensuring sustainable development as more fossil fuels can be available for the future. In addition, the use of biofuels ensures that energy can be easily produced. This is because the raw materials needed to produce biofuels are crops that can be grown easily by anyone or any carbon source, making the production of biofuels easy and making biofuels easily available. Countries which do not have natural resources can now produce energy too without relying on countries with natural resources such as fossil fuels. This will reduce the possibility that a country without natural resources will face energy shortage with biofuels.

The use of biofuels can slow down global warming to a large extent. The use of biofuels is proven to be the best way to reducing the emission of the greenhouse gases. This is because biofuels burn cleanly and produce less carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. When compared to the use of fossil fuels, the amount of greenhouse gas produced is greatly reduced. Lower amount of carbon dioxide will reduce global warming. In addition, as biofuels are carbon-neutral, the carbon dioxide they release when they are burnt is taken up by crops that are grown to produce biofuels. This results in zero net greenhouse gas emissions. On top of that, the growth of more crops to make biofuels reduces the amount of carbon dioxide when they photosynthesise. This will further decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Biofuels can thus greatly decrease the amount of carbon dioxide, preventing the worsening of global warming and its effects.

Burning of biofuels creates less air pollution in the world. Less pollutant such as carbon monoxide, and both sulphur oxides and sulphates, which are major components of acid rain are produced when biofuels are burnt. This will reduce the destruction of the environment and the buildings. Health of people may also improve with less air pollution and people are less likely to develop lung problems. This will improve the quality of life of people.

Biofuels ensure that the supply of energy sources will be available even in the future. As biofuels are renewable, they are unlikely to run out and will always be available for future use. Crops can be easily grown to produce biofuels once biofuels run out and more crops can be grown to be converted into biofuels when more energy is needed. This will ensure that the supply of biofuels is always sufficient to meet the increased energy demands even in the future. Biofuels are also biodegradable and non-toxic. This means that spillage of biofuels is less harmful to people and the environment. Marine organisms are also safer with the use of biofuels instead of petroleum since less oil drilling is required.

Growth of crops to produce biofuels provides farmers with another market for their crops. Farmers can now grow more crops to produce biofuels. Farmers’ income will increase and their quality of living improves. In poorer countries, more people may be employed to grow crops to produce biofuels as richer countries outsource the production of crops to these countries. Poverty may be reduced this case and the economy of these countries may be stimulated. Moreover, the use of biofuels can moderate the price of petroleum. Less petroleum is burnt to produce energy thus petroleum can now be used for other purposes. Fall in demand for petroleum can lower the price of petroleum. This will be beneficial to the world’s economy.

Biofuels reduce the waste in the world since it uses waste materials as raw materials and encourage recycling of waste to produce biofuels. The use of biofuels can help in waste management as waste is sent to factories to be processed into biofuels and increase the amount of land used for other purposes as less land is now required to contain the waste. The carbon in the waste is recycled to produce biofuels, minimizing the environmental damage if waste is not dealt properly. One example is that waste vegetable oil can be recycled to produce biodiesel. Thus, countries now have more incentives to produce biofuels from waste as this can solve both energy demand problem and waste management problem. Furthermore, crops which can produce second generation biofuels are able to grow on unfertile land without much irrigation and fertilizers. This makes the cost of producing second generation biofuels cheaper and less carbon intensive.

All the above reasons make biofuels a good choice to meet energy demands and show that biofuels have an overall good impact on the people and their environment.

Future Considerations

As biofuels have relative low energy content as compared to fossil fuels currently, I think that many countries will probably engage in further research and development to increase the energy produced by biofuels. By doing so, countries are more likely to use the more energy efficient biofuels and this can greatly reduce the amount of fossil fuels used as compared to now. Higher energy content by biofuels can also meet the increased energy demand in the future more easily. By then, biofuels could probably have a higher percentage in the use of various energy sources. Further development on the methods to produce biofuels may be conducted so as to reduce the energy require to produce biofuels, making biofuels more efficient and probably the most efficient energy source as compared to other alternatives.

With the increase in population, biofuels may no longer be made from crops. Land may now be used to grow crops for consumption use or for other purpose. Most of the biofuels may be produced from waste materials as doing so can help countries to solve waste management problems and energy demand problems. By doing so, waste management is no longer a problem of countries and the environment will be cleaner with less pollution in the air and on land. Industrial waste will also not be dump into seas which will pollute the water. By then, waste may even be traded to produce biofuels. On top of that, global warming problem may be reduced with less carbon dioxide emission since deforestation is not required to clear lands to grow crops for production of biofuels. Global warming may be a less serious concern by then.

As countries move towards sustainable development and the government encouraging companies to use energy sources that are environmental friendly, biofuels can be one of the energy soures that are in high demand. Biofuels will probably reach full commercialization and a large amount of biofuels could be produced. The market for biofuels could be opened up as countries are offering the highest amount of money to purchase biofuels. By then biofuels could be one of the top selling energy sources.

Conclusion

Biofuels can indeed help to contribute to the increased in energy demand. The use of biofuels instead of fossil fuels can greatly reduce the problem of environmental concerns in countries. Nonetheless, to ensure that biofuels can continue to meet future energy demand or probably become one of the essential energy sources in the future, there is a need to review the implications of the use of biofuels and its production methods often. Consistent research and development is also required to enhance the energy efficiency of biofuels, and the methods and raw materials required to produce biofuels. These will then ensure the sustainability of biofuels. Government support is also crucial for success in the production and use of biofuels. Other than biofuels, other sources of energy such as solar energy and wind power should also be developed to meet the increased energy demand. Biofuels alone will not meet the increased energy demand, there is a need to improve the efficiency of current energy sources and find even more energy sources to meet the energy demand. These new energy sources have to be highly efficient and probably make use of recyclable materials to produce energy. To ensure that energy can be produced and used to the maximum, constant improvements on the energy sources have to be made.

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