ipl-logo

Fossil Fuels Pros And Cons

1281 Words6 Pages

Energy plays a vital role in the modern human community as we power our computers, household utilities and many other important inventions. As the population of the world grows, our fossil fuel reserves are depleting quicker. Fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal and natural gas accounted for 81.5 percent of global primary energy consumption in 2015. The burning of fossil fuels have greatly contributed to global warming, however if we were to ultimately eliminate fossil fuels from energy sources, the production of energy will undoubtedly fall behind the demand. The solution proposed is to reduce the demand for fossil fuels by replacing some with a more sustainable and renewable alternative- biofuels. To reach a compromise between the amount …show more content…

Although there are a number of proven benefits of substituting fossil fuels with biofuels, no fuel sources are entirely positive or negative.
Pros:
❀ Renewable - Fossil fuels are considered non-renewable as they take millions of years to form and the reserves are depleting quicker than new reserves are being formed. This is not the case for biofuels as they can be constantly restored, since they can be produced from biomass which can be cultivated and harvested during the human lifespan. ❀ Economic Security - Large reserves of crude oil do not appear in every country, and so biofuels provide an opportunity for countries to enhance economic security by reducing their expenditures and dependence on oil imports. ❀ Clean-burning - Unalike fossil fuels, biofuels are more environmentally friendly, producing less air pollution and also utilising materials that are considered to be waste products. Biofuels play a vital role in reducing our carbon footprint as they emit less greenhouse gases compared to other conventional fuels.

These disadvantages are what is limiting biofuels from becoming the dominant energy …show more content…

One of the disadvantages of biofuels is that they aren’t as clean as we may think due to the use of fertiliser to grow these crops. Fertiliser is a nitrogen-rich compound, and nitrogen is consumed by bacteria that produces nitrous oxide. The release of nitrous oxide, an even more harmful GHG than carbon dioxide, into our atmosphere creates yet another dreaded greenhouse effect. The nitrogen and phosphorus present in fertilisers can also cause eutrophication which can lead to a loss of biodiversity. These aspects of biofuels serve as significant disadvantages to the

Show More
Related

  • Fleischmann's Rapid-Rise Yeast

    1614 Words  | 7 Pages

    In addition, raw sugarcane is a common biofuel that is used as an advantageous renewable energy; however, the greenhouse gas emissions are higher than that of corn (Renouf et al., 2008). The major disadvantage to the use of corn for ethanol fuel production was that starch must be converted to sugar and then converted to ethanol at a slower rate than sugarcane; however, the benefit to using corn was that there was lower carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions than that of sugarcane. Although sugarcane would be more efficient in ethanol production, the environment in the United States favors growing agricultural crops such as corn, instead of sugarcane. The positives to using sugarcane for ethanol fuel production in Brazil include the estimated 19 billion liters of ethanol that were produced in 2007, its expansive territory, and the availability of water (Martinelli et al., 2008). On the other hand, the cons of using sugarcane for ethanol fuel production in Brazil include environmental degradation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Martinelli et al., 2008).

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Hydraulic Fracturing

    1217 Words  | 5 Pages

    Fracking also creates more American jobs. This is a great plus for a country that needs more homebound jobs in a recovering economy whose jobs are going to other nations like China. And yet another pro is using natural gas to heat our homes and power our cars releases far fewer carbon emissions than coal (Wheeler, 2014). Fossil fuels have a big energy reserve. There are a lot of untapped fossil fuels.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Fracking

    853 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fracking Fracking is drilling down into earth before high-pressure water mixture goes down directed at rocks to release the gases inside. Water, sand and other chemicals are injected to the rock at high pressure, which allows the gas to come back up and come out of the well where it is collected (BBC News). Fracking is so controversial because it requires enormous amounts of water to extract and is a disaster for the environment. It takes on average 400 hundred tanker trucks to carry water and other supplies to and from the fracking site. It takes 1-8 million gallons of water to complete ONE fracking job.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

    1443 Words  | 6 Pages

    There are over one millions wells in the United States of American that have been fracked since the 1940’s (Brantley, 2013). “Fracking,” also well know as hydraulic fracturing, is a process that is used to extract natural gas from rocks. Wells are drilled vertically into the ground to a desired depth, and then they continue horizontally between shale rock that is believed to contain natural gas. Once the well is drilled, a mix of water, sand-like substances, and other chemicals are pumped into the well at extremely high pressures in order to fracture the shale rock which will release the gas trapped inside. Once the gas flows out of the rock and into the well, it will be drawn back up to the surface and then it is processed, refined, and shipped

    Read More

  • Cons Of Fracking Essay

    329 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main way that oil and natural gas reserves are acquired are through the means of Fracking. Also known as hydrofracking, this method utilizes a drill that drills down thousands of feet underground, which is then flushed with millions of gallons of water along with additive chemicals at high pressures to break the rocks sheltering the reserves. This method of attainment is quite risky as it comes with many unfavorable consequences that are quite unbeneficial. Like fossil fuel plants, fracking also releases greenhouse gasses like methane(Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in the Williston Basin, Montana), which is worse than carbon dioxide and causes air pollution. Alongside that, pollutants like Benzene and Xylene also leak out during the fracking process, which is known to cause serious health conditions and even death in some cases due to the long exposure to the pollutants(Potential Health and

    Read More

  • Alberta's Economic Benefits Of Changing Over To Ethanol Fuel

    788 Words  | 4 Pages

    Looking at the difference of ethanol fuel and gasoline, the benefits of ethanol fuel by far outweigh gasoline. With ethanol fuel being made from biomass the amount of greenhouse gas emissions is greatly reduced from those of gasoline emissions. This is allowed to happen because when ethanol fuel is burned, it is burned in almost complete combustion making the emissions much more clear and less harmful to the environment. With a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions the benefits to the environment are huge. Our economy would be allowed to spend less money on environmental factors and more for the people.

    Read More

  • Pros Of Fracking

    735 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fracking is not a new think it was invent seventy years ago in 1947(“ Thanks To Fracking, Earthquake Hazards In Parts Of Oklahoma Now Comparable To”).For most of those years it has been loosely regulated because people were further worried about what was happening with the coal industry. The fracking fluid starts in a tank then it moves through a pipe into a sand truck. Then the mixture is moved into the blending truck.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Oil Fracking

    1686 Words  | 7 Pages

    The United States no longer has to rely on other foreign countries for their resources since oil fracking is done on American soil. Hydraulic fracking has also caused a huge increase in employment by about 67% due to the technology that is being used. (Rinkesh) In the future not only will more oil be easier to get, but it may also reduce the levels of air pollution, which could result in global warming to go down a bit.

    Read More

  • Coal Mining Pros And Cons

    532 Words  | 3 Pages

    Coal mining in the U.S. provides many jobs and is the backbone of many incomes. Longwall coal mining is one form of underground coal mining. In fact, it is the most productive form, yet the safest. The machine used is highly powerful and efficient. Pros for this type of mining are followed by cons as well.

    Read More

  • Fracking Pros And Cons

    1051 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the U.S. hydraulic fracking has been a main source of energy during today’s times, it 's cheap effectiveness makes us think this . People should know how hydraulic fracturing is not as clean and amazing as we think it is. Hydraulic fracking cannot be a sustainable option for America. There are too many faults for it to be upheld in the long run and we cannot depend on it as our main resource of energy forever.

    Read More

  • Oil Sands Pros And Cons

    374 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Oil Sands - The Way to Go or Time to Say No? The Oil Sands are a large source of energy in Canada which meet large demands for energy. Alysa Encarnacion, Editorial Writer May 14, 2017 ATHABASCA — The Oil Sands are the “heart” of Canada’s economy, rewarding us with 1.7 trillion dollars. There are both benefits and cons to the Oil Sands, affecting Canada economically, socially, politically, and environmentally. The Oil Sands have contributed $91 billion to Canada’s GDP.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Solar Energy

    1889 Words  | 8 Pages

    It is commonly known throughout human history that the energy used is burned from coal which creates biomass. During the Industrial Revolution, coal was an essential need to everyone, hence the discovery of oil as a substitute. Yet, the mass formation from the unearthing of oil causes more damage than benefits for the planet. Humanity had never seen a more compatible source in which came a higher demand for oil. As the public has urged to generate more oil, scientists theorized that fossil fuels will eventually run out, making way for a renewable energy route in the future (Mason).

    Read More

  • Fossil Fuels Disadvantages

    1033 Words  | 5 Pages

    Very large amounts of electricity can be generated in one place using coal, fairly cheaply.  Transporting oil and gas to the power stations is easy.  Gas-fired power stations are very efficient.  A fossil-fuelled power station can be built almost anywhere o Disadvantages of Using Fossil Fuels  Basically, the main drawback of fossil fuels is pollution.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Alternative Energy Sources

    1161 Words  | 5 Pages

    Almost none of the fuel sources that we could use provide Co2 or other pollutants. Economic values could also come from renewable energy. Most of the Energy projects are located away from big cities. These benefits could bring local service as well as tourism. Although the pros are very big there are some cons.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of CO2 Emission

    1887 Words  | 8 Pages

    There is currently over 7 billion people living on the Earth and the population continues to grow. As the population continues to grow so does the need for transportation such as automobiles, which sold about 250 million units over the past 4 years. With that many vehicles out on the streets, tailpipe emissions increase drastically. This causes an increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere, climate change around the world, and ultimately global warming. Although not all of CO2 emissions come from automobiles but 51%; which if it is eliminated completely could save the world another billion years or so.

    Read More

More about Fossil Fuels Pros And Cons

Open Document