- What types of alternatives to oil do you know exist? List and
write a basic definition of how it creates energy for 6 different alternatives.
- For each of the 6 alternatives to oil find out and write down how much energy do you get back for the energy that is put in to creating/ harnessing or storing the energy?
1. Human/Animal waste- The feces we let out of our body and the used diaper by babies can come in handy. They can be used to make fuel and renewable energy. Not only from the humans but with animal waste, also, could be used to make energy. Their feces can be used as well as guts that are thrown away. For instance, turkey gut can be collected and used to make fuel oil to replace diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel. The guts, head and feathers should be mixed with water and heated for an hour with 500 F at 600 psi to make the alternative fuel.
- It is said that treating these wastes can produce a fairly large amount of gas and convert it to energy. With the daily wastes, it can produce 1.5million cubic feet of gas and it can fill 1250 tanker trucks.
2. Jellyfish- Many researchers have found out that jellyfish could be used to make alternative fuels. The green fluorescent protein which makes them glow can be used to activate a car. By adding a few chemicals in to the luminescent protein from jellyfish, biological fuel will be created that is beneficial to us as well as the environment.
3. Solar power- The solar paint captures the energy of the sun. Many are inventing a paint-on solar panel that can be put onto a steel panel and cover buildings. Although it is expensive and only covers a limited surface area, it is said by many experts and scientists that solar power is the easiest way to obtain and most effective source of energy provided. It is also calculated that a square foot of solar paint that is used produce the energy of 50 wind farms.
- If the solar paints that are 100 million square meters of a steel building are used to conserve energy for a year, it will produce 4500 gig watts of electricity through the solar cells and this is equivalent to the production of energy of 50 wind farms. The cost of a solar panel that is 3Kw costs 6500 pounds.
4. Coffee grounds- Coffee been contain a high percentage of oil and this might be a benefit to us in the future. It takes a long to bio degrade, so many countries in Europe like Germany and Switzerland have companies to collect coffee grounds and use it for an efficient energy source: fuel. It consists of significant amount of oil that is in the form of biodiesel.
- It is said that starbucks wastes 210 million pounds of coffee grounds annually and this can produce 3 million gallons of biodiesel and 90000 tons of fuel pellets.
5. Cows - Octane gas- Researches by Argentinian scientists have revealed that a single cow that weighs 550 kg lets out 800 to 1000 litres of methane gas each day. Cows have 4 stomachs that are active and they let the cow fart and burp to emit methane. Methane is a gas which burn quickly, unlike carbon dioxide, and it is a much more reactive greenhouse gas. Not only from cows but other domestic animals like sheep, goats and llamas, if the methane was captured by these animals into some tank, it could be an alternative fuel and help run machines and be an effective energy source.
- A hard of cattle emits an average of 275 litres of pure methane and this can easily keep a refrigerator running for 24 hours.
6. Urine- Many researchers are trying to develop microbal fuel cells by using specialized bacteria and breaking down products of various types and create energy. British researchers have figured out that urine is rich in nitrogen, chemically active, has compounds that make very good microbal fuel cells. The fuel cells in the urine could also produce electricity as well as clean water.
- Compare two different types in depth and decide which you think is a ‘greener’ solution and why
- Solar power has been considered one of the best alternative energy and is currently used by many countries. Although it is quite costly, it is very helpful to the environment and uses the sun to produce its energy, which we consider as an infinite resource. It could be used anywhere, anytime during the day since the sun provides with unlimited sunrays. It has been long known that cow farts, which most consist of methane, can harm our global climate and many domestic livestocks emit greenhouse gases. If they are used as an alternative to fuel or any other energy source, it can prevent global warming and from damaging the ozone layer. The amount of unwanted gas they produce is deadly and enormous that by using it efficiently could really be beneficial to the Earth as well as out health.
I personally believe that the solar power will be a much more eco-friendly and greener solution than collecting cows' emissions. If we were to use the methane gas, there should be ways to gather the gas without exposing it to the air and try to get the minimum amount of gas triggering global warming; however, there aren't many ways to do it and it could be very risky if the tanks that holds the methane gas explodes. Unlike that, solar panels are just expensive to make and it has no harm to any environment. As it can be used anywhere with the help of sun rays, I think solar power is a 'greener' solution.
- For each of the 6 alternatives to oil find out and write down how much energy do you get back for the energy that is put in to creating/ harnessing or storing the energy?
1. Human/Animal waste- The feces we let out of our body and the used diaper by babies can come in handy. They can be used to make fuel and renewable energy. Not only from the humans but with animal waste, also, could be used to make energy. Their feces can be used as well as guts that are thrown away. For instance, turkey gut can be collected and used to make fuel oil to replace diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel. The guts, head and feathers should be mixed with water and heated for an hour with 500 F at 600 psi to make the alternative fuel.
- It is said that treating these wastes can produce a fairly large amount of gas and convert it to energy. With the daily wastes, it can produce 1.5million cubic feet of gas and it can fill 1250 tanker trucks.
2. Jellyfish- Many researchers have found out that jellyfish could be used to make alternative fuels. The green fluorescent protein which makes them glow can be used to activate a car. By adding a few chemicals in to the luminescent protein from jellyfish, biological fuel will be created that is beneficial to us as well as the environment.
3. Solar power- The solar paint captures the energy of the sun. Many are inventing a paint-on solar panel that can be put onto a steel panel and cover buildings. Although it is expensive and only covers a limited surface area, it is said by many experts and scientists that solar power is the easiest way to obtain and most effective source of energy provided. It is also calculated that a square foot of solar paint that is used produce the energy of 50 wind farms.
- If the solar paints that are 100 million square meters of a steel building are used to conserve energy for a year, it will produce 4500 gig watts of electricity through the solar cells and this is equivalent to the production of energy of 50 wind farms. The cost of a solar panel that is 3Kw costs 6500 pounds.
4. Coffee grounds- Coffee been contain a high percentage of oil and this might be a benefit to us in the future. It takes a long to bio degrade, so many countries in Europe like Germany and Switzerland have companies to collect coffee grounds and use it for an efficient energy source: fuel. It consists of significant amount of oil that is in the form of biodiesel.
- It is said that starbucks wastes 210 million pounds of coffee grounds annually and this can produce 3 million gallons of biodiesel and 90000 tons of fuel pellets.
5. Cows - Octane gas- Researches by Argentinian scientists have revealed that a single cow that weighs 550 kg lets out 800 to 1000 litres of methane gas each day. Cows have 4 stomachs that are active and they let the cow fart and burp to emit methane. Methane is a gas which burn quickly, unlike carbon dioxide, and it is a much more reactive greenhouse gas. Not only from cows but other domestic animals like sheep, goats and llamas, if the methane was captured by these animals into some tank, it could be an alternative fuel and help run machines and be an effective energy source.
- A hard of cattle emits an average of 275 litres of pure methane and this can easily keep a refrigerator running for 24 hours.
6. Urine- Many researchers are trying to develop microbal fuel cells by using specialized bacteria and breaking down products of various types and create energy. British researchers have figured out that urine is rich in nitrogen, chemically active, has compounds that make very good microbal fuel cells. The fuel cells in the urine could also produce electricity as well as clean water.
- Compare two different types in depth and decide which you think is a ‘greener’ solution and why
- Solar power has been considered one of the best alternative energy and is currently used by many countries. Although it is quite costly, it is very helpful to the environment and uses the sun to produce its energy, which we consider as an infinite resource. It could be used anywhere, anytime during the day since the sun provides with unlimited sunrays. It has been long known that cow farts, which most consist of methane, can harm our global climate and many domestic livestocks emit greenhouse gases. If they are used as an alternative to fuel or any other energy source, it can prevent global warming and from damaging the ozone layer. The amount of unwanted gas they produce is deadly and enormous that by using it efficiently could really be beneficial to the Earth as well as out health.
I personally believe that the solar power will be a much more eco-friendly and greener solution than collecting cows' emissions. If we were to use the methane gas, there should be ways to gather the gas without exposing it to the air and try to get the minimum amount of gas triggering global warming; however, there aren't many ways to do it and it could be very risky if the tanks that holds the methane gas explodes. Unlike that, solar panels are just expensive to make and it has no harm to any environment. As it can be used anywhere with the help of sun rays, I think solar power is a 'greener' solution.
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