With the rising cost of gasoline and the negative impact that fossil fuels have on our environment, the worldwide search for alternative fuels is well on its way. The reintroduction of biofuels into the mainstream in the 1970s led the way for the biofuels of today to be a top contender in the search for alternative fuels.

But one must ask, in addition to the good things that biofuels bring to the table, such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, are there negative aspects of using biofuels?

Critics Speak Out About Biofuels (Ethanol and Biodiesel)

 

While ethanol and biodiesel are created through the use of crop sources such as corn grain and soy bean oil, seemingly renewable resources, skeptics of biofuel use say that widespread conversion to such fuel sources would require that a major increase of land use be diverted to the growing of crops used in the biofuel creation process.

Matthew Brown, an energy consultant, stated that, “Replacing only five percent of the nation’s diesel consumption with biodiesel would require diverting approximately 60 percent of today’s soy crops to biodiesel production,” according to http://environment.about.com/od/fossilfuels/a/biofuels.htm

Cornell University’s Take on Biofuels

While, at first, biofuels might seem like the answer to the pollution problem, some energy experts think the behind the scenes cost in energy to produce biofuels far outweigh long-term benefits. Cornell University researcher David Pimental has concluded that after taking into account the energy needed to grow the crops and then converting them into biofuels requires 29% more energy than is produced by the end product, according to the about.com article.

Add to that the few number of pumping stations that cater to the biofuel crowd, or that in order to use ethanol instead of gasoline, you must have a flex-fuel vehicle, capable of using both. Most regular diesel engines can handle biodiesel, on the other hand.

The Cons of Biofuels

As you can see, the biofuel debate has its fair share of cons. Maybe conservation of the fuels we currently use and the development of cleaner emission vehicles are the solution — at least until we can find a more viable alternative fuel answer.