Variations of Alternative Fuels

By Ralf Santo

There are several variations of alternative fuels and several classifications depending on your exact definition. Let’s take a closer look.

A fuel is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a substance that is used to produce heat or energy by burning and also a substance from which energy can be liberated such as in a nuclear reaction. When you are discussing the variations of alternative fuels these two classifications can be a good starting point. Fossil fuels fit the first definition. They are burned or consumed in some manner to produce heat or energy. Fossil fuels are considered to be the conventional fuel. Anything other than fossil fuels would be considered as an alternative fuel.

There are many variations of alternative fuels that can be burned or are consumed to produce heat or energy. They include such things as biomass, ethanol, butanol, methane, and even peanut oil. The other definition would refer to the concept of a fuel that simply liberates the energy without consuming the fuel. These variations of alternative fuels would be such things as stored electricity in batteries or wind and solar power. These alternative fuels are also called sustainable or renewable fuels.

In the minds of many people, fuel is associated with motors and engines. Alternative fuels are thought of as non-conventional ways to power these engines. Basically, this means alternatives to gasoline for powering an automobile engine. The same ideas apply here. Some variations of alternative fuels would be burned and consumed as they powered the engine. They would function in the same way as gasoline by providing the explosion inside the combustion engine that drives the pistons.

Other variations of alternative fuels would power the automobile by replacing the need for the internal combustion engine altogether. Solar or electric powered automobile would be examples of this. Solar power or electricity would then be thought of as the "fuel" that is powering the vehicle. The other major uses of fuel are to provide heat or the generation of electricity. Once again, fossil fuels such as oil or coal are burned to directly produce heat or indirectly heat water into steam to power electrical generators. The fossil fuels would be called conventional and anything else would be alternative.

A discussion of the variations of alternative fuels is going to depend on which definition of fuel is being used and to some degree on the mindset of the person having the discussion. To an environmentalist, any fuel that is not renewable is considered conventional. If it has a negative environmental impact, it is not a true alternative.

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Introducing Alternative Fuels

By Ralf Santo

If you are discussing just what alternative fuel is, there are two basic definitions that you can utilize.

When you are thinking in terms petroleum or fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas, alternative fuel would refer to some type of fuel that is different. A fuel is actually a way to store potential energy that is stable and also easily transported from its place of production to its place of use. Most fuels are potential sources of chemical energy that can be used to power engines or heat buildings. Anything that fit that description and was not a standard form of fossil fuel would qualify as an alternative fuel.

When you think of fuel from an environmental point of view, alternative fuel more often refers to some renewable or sustainable source of power. This would be especially true of some fuel source that was considered to be ecologically benign. Uranium when used for a fuel for nuclear energy would fall into some middle ground depending on the mind set of the person providing the definition. While nuclear power is an alternative source of energy, it is hard to consider uranium as neither a stable and easily transportable fuel nor one that is ecologically benign.

Regardless of the exact definition of alternative fuel, one thing is certain and that is there is an increasing demand to discover, develop, and put into common use alternative fuels. There are several reasons why conventional fossil fuels are falling into disfavor as fuel sources. It is these sources of unhappiness with fossil fuels that is causing this search for alternatives. One major complaint of fossil fuels is the idea of global warming caused by greenhouse gases released by the burning of these fuels.

There are also major concerns about the supply of fossil fuels and the fact that some experts predict that demand will outstrip supply within another decade. The fact that the volatile Middle East region is a major source of fossil fuels is another reason for a quest for alternatives. The desire for alternative fuels that are more environmentally friendly is being spurred by an increasing recognition of the problem of world wide pollution.

The bottom line here is that an alternative fuel is any fuel source that is different than what we have built our industrial and technological society on. This alternative might be something that is cleaner or it may be cheaper. It may be more readily available without stirring political unrest or unfairly enriching one region of the world at the expense of another. It may very well be something that has not yet been discovered or fully realized. The one certainty is that we will need fuel to provide power and heat.

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