Alternative Fuel Sources

The main purpose of fuel is to store energy, which should be in a stable form and can be easily transported to the place of production. Almost all fuels are chemical fuels. The user employs this fuel to generate heat or perform mechanical work, such as powering an engine. It may also be used to generate electricity, which is then used for heating, lighting, or other purposes.


Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. It most often refers to plants or plant-derived materials which are specifically called lignocellulosic biomass. As a renewable energy source, biomass can either be used directly via combustion to produce heat, or indirectly after converting it to various forms of biofuel. Conversion of biomass to biofuel can be achieved by different methods which are broadly classified into: thermal, chemical, and biochemical methods.

Examples of Alternative Fuel Sources

Ethanol
The original flex-fuel vehicle was the model T; it could run on ethanol, gas or a combination of the two. By 1917, annual U.S. ethanol production reached 50 to 60 million gallons. In 2008, it reached 7.2 billion gallons. (See References 2) Ethanol's source is plants such as corn and sugarcane. Cellulosic ethanol, rather than consuming food and animal crops for fuel, uses crop residues, including stalks, hulls and wood byproducts to power your car. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, emissions from cellulosic ethanol are up to 86 percent lower than gasoline emissions

Biodiesel
Biodiesel, made from plant oil and animal fat, powers any engine that runs on petroleum diesel, including semis, cars and trucks. Plant sources of biodiesel include soybeans, cottonseeds, sunflowers, peanuts and canola. Some resourceful drivers even use cooking oil recycled from restaurant deep-fat fryers as fuel, and current research points to algae as another source of biodiesel. In addition to being renewable, biodiesel's strong suit is carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions, which are significantly lower than petroleum diesel, according to the DOE.

Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the first element on the periodic table, and the DOE sees its potential to revolutionize transportation. As a fuel source, it is still in the research stage, but producing it with renewable energy results in virtually pollution- and emissions-free transportation. Even though there are few hydrogen-fueled vehicles on the road, as of publication, the United State's annual hydrogen production of 9 million tons could power 20 to 30 million low- to no-emission cars.