The History of Biofuels:
Biofuels in the solid form were first used ever since man discovered fire. When wood was burned for cooking and heating, they were in reality using a type of biofuel as a source of energy. Biofuels were utilized far before fossil fuels were even discovered by man. When electricity was discovered, biofuels were one the the biggest contributors to the production, but when fossil fuels like natural gas, coal and oil were explored, biofuels suffered quite a bit. Since fossil fuels at the time had more advantages and more popularity, many people abandoned the use of biofuels.
Rudolf Diesel, whose invention now bears his name, developed the first automobile to run purely off of vegetable oil. Rudolf Diesel showcased his invention at the World Exhibition in Paris, France in 1900 where he displayed the first engine to run off of peanut oil. Indeed Rudolf Diesel was the first to invent an engine that used peanut oil, but a German man named Nikolaus August Otto was really the first to convince people that ethanol could be used to run an engine, a type of biofuel that is well known to this day. Talking about this in 1912, Diesel said: “The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become, in the course of time, as important as petroleum…”
Henry Ford, the American founder of Ford Motor Company, unveiled his 1908 Model T on October 1st, and it was designed to run on ethanol fuel, one of the many types of biofuels available today. Henry Ford had the right idea, but at the time, gasloine was abundant and relatively cheap. And not helping the cause on the part of biofuels, the exploration of vast deposits of crude oil in Texas and Pennsylvania made petroleum to become very cheap, and in result, it lowered the use of biofuels like ethanol.Henry Ford, 1925: "The fuel of the future is going to come from fruit like that sumac out by the road, or from apples, weeds, sawdust - almost anything. There is fuel in every bit of vegetable matter that can be fermented. There's enough alcohol in one year's yield of an acre of potatoes to drive the machinery necessary to cultivate the fields for a hundred years."
During WWII when many countries experienced shortages of fuel, especially Germany. Germany's fuel shortages of WWII was actually a factor in the German defeat. They had to turn to alternative types of imported fuels including biofuels. During this period of war it was discovered that the alcohol from potatoes can be mixed with gasoline to provide as a substitute for plain gasoline. And also during this wartime, Britain came up with the concept of mixing the alcohol from grain and mixing it with petrol. During these intense times in our history, there were major technological changes, but during times of peace, the pressure from the Middle East and the gulf countries eased and many resumed going back to old habits of using fossil fuels like petroleum.
In the photo to the right that dates back to WWII, due to the shortage of gasoline, and the dependence on imported oil, the Germans had to use alternative types of fuels. The automobile to the right is specially fitted with a unit that burns wood which in turn powers the engine. |
The 1973 oil crisis started on October 15, 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) consisting of the Arab members of OPEC plus Egypt and Syria proclaimed an oil embargo "in response to the U.S decision to re-supply the Israeli military during the Yom Kippur war. OAPEC declared it would no longer ship oil to the United States and other countries of they supported Israel in the conflict. The effects of the Arab embargo were severe in the U.S and other industrialized economies that relied on crude oil and OPEC was their predominant supplier. The market price soon rose from $3 a barrel to a staggering $12. Over the long term, the oil embargo changed the nature of policy in the West towards increased exploration, energy conservation, and more restrictive monetary policy to better fight inflation. Many countries from then on had to find alternative fuels to accommodate for the lack of gasoline. For example, the Brazilian government implemented a very large project called "Proálcool" (pro-alcohol) that would make a mixture of ethanol to gas for using in the vehicles. This project, focused on producing ethanol from sugar cane, is still ongoing and has reduced the oil importation needs of the country, and also has decreased the price of gasoline in that nation. Electricity generation fromnuclear power and natural gas, home heating from natural gas and ethanol blended gasoline all reduced the demand for oil. Electricity generation from nuclear power and natural gas, home heating from natural gas and ethanol blended gasoline all reduced the demand for oil.
In the above photo, there is a sign that explains the meaning behind the flag colors. Everyday a flag is set out in front of gas stations and depending on the available supply of gas will determine who gets gas on that day. |
In the above photo, a man reads the newspaper that says that there will be gas rationing soon while in the background a sign shows the gas station has no gas to sell due to the lack of supply. |
Now, as concerns over global climate change, declining air and water quality due to pollution and carbon emissions, and serious human health concerns increase, many are inspired to explore the development of biodiesel and other biofuels; they are renewable and a cleaner burning fuel alternative. Biodiesel is made from recycled vegetable oils, and various other feedstocks like soy beans. And all over the United States and all over the world there are researchers looking for new sources of fuel that will decrease our dependence on foreign oil, burn cleaner, be a cheap alternative to traditional gasoline, and be the best candidate when fuel supplies here on Earth become scarce. When energy becomes a key for world power and influence, the United States will be independent and have available sustainable sources of energy. The U.S is striving every day to find and create new sources of energy that will fuel the America for generations to come and be cleaner and more sustainable. This is where biofuels come in. From the time when man discovered fire to the future generations to come. Biofuels have a long history in the past, but also have a long history to be made in the future.