Alternative Fuel: Reality or Speculation?

Alternative Fuel: Reality or Speculation?

      With the press of a pedal, a human being can travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in six hours.  This pedal serves as the gateway for an immediate use of energy—an amount of energy that even the strongest human being could not produce on his/her own.  In fact, a person operating this vehicle of transportation uses very little of their own energy.   What creates this sudden release of energy is not the person inside the car at all—it is the combustion of fuel inside an engine.  This internal combustion engine—the type of engine inside most automobiles—produces energy from fuel and converts that energy into the power to move the different components that will move the car (Cohen, 2004). Ever since the Industrial Revolution, fuel-powered machines have allowed humans to cultivate more land, consume more resources, and sustain larger populations than was conceivable before the beginnings of this revolution (Robinson, 2001). 

       But with the burning of the fossil fuels used to power these machines comes some very large environmental problems our society must face.  The world is much too dependent on fossil fuels to begin using an alternative in an instant.  So what must be done to cease the harmful effects that occur every time a person presses on a gas pedal?  One must first understand what these effects are, and then the urgency of these problems must be assessed in order to develop a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

      Air pollution is the most significant problem associated with the burning of fossil fuels.  Out of all the different sources of fossil fuel burning that this air pollution comes from, automobile exhaust is the single largest source in the United States.

 All fossil fuels consist mainly of compounds that contain hydrogen and carbon.  Carbon monoxide, one of the largest air pollutants in the atmosphere, is produced when the carbon in certain fuels are not burned completely.  According to the article “Air Quality” by Pamela Aue, approximately 100 million tons of carbon monoxide was emitted into the air in 2002.  Approximately 60 percent of this came from motor vehicle exhaust from road vehicles, and as much as 95 percent in cities with heavy traffic congestion (Aue, 2004).  The health risks that carbon monoxide poses can be serious.  It is a dangerous gas that enters a person's bloodstream through the lungs, and it reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen to the body's cells, organs, and tissues.  People suffering from cardiovascular diseases are at greatest risk from carbon monoxide poisoning (Aue, 2004).

      Another major air pollutant caused primarily from the exhaust of transportation vehicles is nitrogen dioxide, with 56 percent of the emissions coming from vehicles in 2002 (Aue, 2004).  Smog, acid rain, and haze are all effects of these nitrogen dioxide emissions. Inhalation of even low concentrations of nitrogen dioxide for short time periods can be harmful to the human body's breathing functions. Longer exposures are considered damaging to the lungs and may cause people to be more susceptible to certain respiratory problems, such as infections (Aue, 2004).

      One of the most complex and difficult to control pollutants caused by cars is ground-level- ozone, which is the primary component in smog.  This ozone differs from the ozone that is naturally present in the earth’s upper atmosphere.  Although ground-level ozone is not directly emitted into the air, automobiles emit other pollutants that are precursors to ozone creation—primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NO₅).  The ozone is formed usually on hot, sunny days due to complex chemical reactions when these pollutants are present in the atmosphere.  In 2002 transportation accounted for approximately 40 percent of VOC emissions (Aue, 2004).  The smog created by the ground-level ozone retards crop and tree growth, impairs health, and limits visibility.  Breathing difficulties can occur with exposure to even the smallest amounts of ozone.  Exposure can also cause serious problems with lung functions, leading to infections, chest pain, and coughing.  The EPA has even linked ozone exposure with increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions due to such respiratory problems as lung inflammation and asthma (Aue, 2004).

      As you can see, air pollution is a serious problem, caused mostly by the burning of fossil fuels.  Poor air quality contributes to hundreds of thousands of deaths and diseases each year throughout the world (Aue, 2004).  The quality of life and recreation is also determined by air quality because air pollution causes haze that decreases visibility during outdoor activities. Because air is so essential to life, it is important that it be free of pollutants such as the ones that automobile exhaust frequently causes.

      Another important issue to consider when looking at the harmful effects of fossil fuels —although there is still no consensus on whether it is really happening or not—is  Global Warming.   Carbon dioxide is one of the main gases in what is known as the “greenhouse effect”.  It naturally occurs in our atmosphere, while absorbing and maintaining heat in the same way that glass traps heat in a greenhouse. These gases in Earth's atmosphere allow temperatures to build up, keeping our planet warm and habitable (Aue, 2004).  However, mankind has released large amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading many to believe that the earth’s temperature is increasing or has already increased—which can greatly affect the earth’s atmosphere as we know it.  The leading source of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is by means of a complete combustion of fossil fuels by industry and motor vehicles (Sohn, 2004).  Carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles in the United States accounts for 97 percent of total greenhouse gases emitted in 2001 (Aue, 2004). 

      Although air pollution is a significant issue, we have seen a much progress towards decreasing it since the 1970s.  Significant reduction of emissions has been achieved by means of changes in the design and engineering of automobiles. Evaporative loss of gasoline hydrocarbons has declined; increased engine efficiency has reduced carbon monoxide emissions; and the catalytic converter has significantly limited tailpipe emissions of all pollutants except for nitrogen oxides. However, the large increase in total miles driven has exceeded the benefits of the decreases in emissions per mile driven (GOLDSTEIN, 2002).

      Air pollution and global warming are two major issues when considering a switch to alternative fuel for energy, but there may be some more imminent issues when dealing with fossil fuels.  The use of fossil fuels is growing rapidly as populations and economies expand all over the world. In Thomas Easton’s Taking Sides: “Will Hydrogen End Our Fossil-Fuel Addiction”, he states that “The 1973 oil crisis heightened awareness that the world…was extraordinarily dependent on that fossil fuel (and therefore on supplier nations)” (Easton, 2005). The supply of oil and other fossil fuels is finite, and therefore simple economics can tell that with an increase in demand for fossil fuels as large as is happening today, the supply may soon peak.  The United States is still heavily dependent on Middle Eastern nations to supply most of our oil, and thus political instability may occur if we indeed run out of our supply. 

      As the price of oil continues to rise and become less elastic, consumers begin to demand an alternative to petroleum fuel.  Currently, there are not many other ways to travel except for a gasoline powered vehicle, thus a crisis is at hand to develop an alternative power source for transportation.  The most attractive alternative right now lies in the development of a seemingly perfect fuel—for when it’s burned it produces only water and heat—hydrogen.  But as with anything that seems too good to be true, hydrogen has many hurdles to jump before we can begin replacing it with petroleum; and in the mean time other alternatives may help relieve the oil crisis. 

Hydrogen is thought of as the best alternative to fossil fuels because it replaces each problem we run into with fossil fuels—the only emissions from burning it are pure water and heat, and the supply of hydrogen, being the most abundant element in the universe, never runs out.  The only problem is that hydrogen does not occur alone naturally, it is always bound to another element such as water (H2O), or fossil fuels such as natural gas (CH4).  Before it can be used as fuel then, it must be separated from either water or natural gas.  Unfortunately, carbon dioxide is a by-product when hydrogen is separated from natural gas (Cammack, 2001).  Using natural gas to get hydrogen for fuel would not only still cause carbon dioxide to enter the atmosphere as does burning fossil fuels, but we would then be shifting our dependency to another limited resource (natural gas). 

      That leaves water as the only other resource to get hydrogen for fuel, since it is plentiful and does not produce carbon dioxide as a by-product of splitting.  It does, however, require a source of energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in a process known as electrolysis.  This energy required could be harnessed from either the undesirable fossil fuels or renewable sources such as hydro-power, wind energy or solar energy, although opinions differ on whether the process of electrolysis will be able to succeed using these technologies (Cammack, 2001).  Jeremy Rifkin writes in “Gas and Gasbags…Or, the Open Road and Its Enemies” that electrolysis is the most energy-intensive process of any fuel alternative, and that nuclear power is the only reasonable solution to power it (Easton, 2005).  The prospects of society investing in nuclear power are not very good, however, there hasn’t been a nuclear power plant built in over 25 years. 

      The next big issue hydrogen power faces is how to properly store it, and convert it to energy in a fuel cell.   Fuel tanks need to be developed that can safely store hydrogen in adequate quantity—hydrogen’s invisible flame and wide flammability range cause legitimate concerns for many people (Borroni-Bird, 2001).  These tanks also have to tackle the problem of how to give the fuel cell powered vehicle the same distance a user can get on a fill-up of gasoline with an internal combustion engine.  A hydrogen fuel cell converts hydrogen into energy by means of a chemical reaction.  One single cell produces a mere 0.7 volts of energy, thus the cells are stacked in a series to add up their voltages (Schlager, 2002). According to Rifkin, it will only be a few years before the first mass-produced hydrogen powered vehicles are on the road (Easton, 2005).

      The fueling infrastructure will also need to be converted to hydrogen if it were to replace petroleum based cars.  Jeremy Rifkin envisions one in which millions of hydrogen car owners connect their fuel cells into local, regional, and national “hydrogen energy webs”.  He likens this process to the technologies of the Internet.  The fuel cell powered cars would generate a capacity of 20 kilowatts, and can be plugged into one of the many interactive electricity networks when parked.  He states that “if just 25 percent of all U.S. cars supplied energy to the grid, all the power plants in the country could be eliminated.” (Easton, 2005).  However, he says, that the existing energy grid will have to be redesigned to facilitate “both easy access to the web and a smooth flow of energy services over the web” (Easton, 2005).  This will take energy supplies out of the hands of major corporations and into a decentralized, environmentally friendly economy.

      The many problems that hydrogen power faces in the near future could take some time to overcome.  This is why many people have shifted their attention to other alternatives, such as biofuels and hybrid gasoline-electric cars.  In the November 2006 issue of Energy Policy, Joseph Romm says that improving gasoline efficiency is the best way to reduce emissions in the near future.  The hybrid gasoline-electric car can reduce gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from 30 to 50% (Romm, 2006).  He also believes that a more promising alternative fuel vehicle than a hydrogen powered one is a hybrid gasoline-electric car that can be connected to an electric grid when not in use.  These cars will be able to travel 500 miles on one gallon of gasoline and also be capable of running on a blend of biofuels and gasoline (Romm, 2006).  Other possibilities for better efficiency are diesel-powered vehicles, which some, such as the Volkswagen Lupo, which get up to 80 miles per gallon (Easton, 2005). 

      With the entire world so heavily invested in burning fossil fuels, there must be a compelling reason for the world to shift to alternatives.  Air pollution is a serious problem in which people can live with because it is not noticed on a daily basis, although we know it is happening.  Global warming is also becoming a more prominent issue in society, and although it is controversial, burning fossil fuels does release Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere, which is the primary element of warming.  

      A more urgent problem that people are beginning to realize more often when they go to fill up their gas tanks is that petroleum is a limited resource, and eventually it can run out, and if it doesn’t entirely run out, we will most likely become dependant upon the Middle Eastern countries for fuel, causing political instability.  These three reasons are why a shift for an alternative source of energy, particularly hydrogen power, is gaining much attention lately.  Hydrogen powered vehicles would drastically increase the quality of the air, as well as eliminate the possibility that our gasoline powered vehicles are causing global warming, and could eventually decentralize the entire power grid system.  This is the most desirable outcome by far, but getting there will not be easy.  Massive funding is needed for technology improvements as well as restructuring of the fueling infrastructure and power grids.  Production of hydrogen needs to be increased, as well as the production of fuel cell vehicles.  Culturally, our perception of transportation needs to be changed to be more environmentally friendly, as much political support is needed for any of this to happen. 

      Since the realization of hydrogen economy may be many years away, we need to focus on reducing emissions and moderating vehicle use as much as possible. In our culture of get-in-the car and go somewhere as fast as possible, most people do not think of the many consequences described above of driving a car, since they are not immediate.  High gasoline prices are the most immediate consequences of dependence we have on it, and this seems like the only thing to sway people to find alternative sources of transportation currently.  The hybrid electric-gasoline car seems to be the first step in the long and gradual change that will lead to a lower dependence on fossil fuels.  Only once the proper support and technology is in position will the world be powered by the most abundant element in the universe—hydrogen.    

Works Consulted

Ahlbrandt, Thomas S. "Fossil Fuels." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Energy. Ed. John Zumerchik. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 504-508. 3 vols. 

Aue, Pamela. "Air Quality." Information Plus(R) Reference Series Fall 2004. Ed.  Vol. 9: The Environment: A Revolution in Attitudes 2004. 2004 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 75-100. 10 vols. 

Aue, Pamela. "The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change." Information Plus(R) Reference Series Fall 2004. Ed.  Vol. 9: The Environment: A Revolution in Attitudes 2004. 2004 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 23-42. 10 vols. 

Bakwin, Peter S. "Carbon Cycle." Plant Sciences. Ed. Richard Robinson. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 122-126. 4 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Thomson Gale. University of Southern California. 21 Oct. 2006 

Beetz, Kirk H. "Fuels, Alternative." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. Vol. 3. 3rd ed. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 

Bennett, Stephen. THE POWER OF HYDROGEN. NPN, National Petroleum News. Chicago: Jun 2004.Vol.96, Iss. 6;  pg. 36, 3 pgs

"Natural Gas." Environmental Encyclopedia. Eds. Marci Bortman, Peter Brimblecombe, Mary Ann Cunningham, William P. Cunningham, and William Freedman. Vol. 2. 3rd ed. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2002. 963. 2 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Thomson Gale. University of Southern California. 20 Oct. 2006  

Borroni-Bird, Christopher. "Fuel Cell Vehicles." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Energy. Ed. John Zumerchik. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 531-534. 3 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Thomson Gale. University of Southern California. 21 Oct. 2006  

Burnett, W. M.; Ban, S. D. “Trends in Energy Technology: Changing Prospects for Natural Gas in the United States” Science, New Series, Vol. 244, No. 4902. (Apr. 21, 1989), pp. 305-310.

Richard Cammack, Michel Frey, Robert Robson. Hydrogen as a fuel: learning from

nature. London: Taylor & Francis, 2001.

Chang, Kenneth “As Earth Warms, The Hottest Issue Is Energy” New York Times. (New York, N.Y.: Nov 4, 2003. pg. F.1

Cohen, M.L. "Automobile." Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Eds. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Lerner. Vol. 1. 3rd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 395-401. 6 vols. 

Denny, Fred I. "Environmental Problems and Energy Use." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Energy. Ed. John Zumerchik. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 475-483. 3 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Thomson Gale. University of Southern California. 20 Oct. 2006 

DesJardins, Joseph R. "Ethical and Moral Aspects of Energy Use." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Energy. Ed. John Zumerchik. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 486-493. 3 vols. 

DiChristina, Mariette. “Natural gas gets the job done” Popular Science. New York: Apr 1995.Vol.246, Iss. 4;  pg. 38, 1 pgs

Easton, Thomas A. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Enviornmental Inssues. Dubuque: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2005.

GILMAN, LARRY. "Energy Technologies." Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security. Eds. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 401-403. 3 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Thomson Gale. University of Southern California. 20 Oct. 2006 

GOLDSTEIN, BERNARD D. "Automotive Emissions." Encyclopedia of Public Health. Ed. Lester Breslow. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 91-92. 4 vols. 

Herzog, Howard J “What future for carbon capture and sequestration?”. Environmental Science & Technology. Easton: Apr 1, 2001.Vol.35, Iss. 7;  pg. A148

Hiltzik, Michael “'Hydrogen Highway' Plans Riding on Misconceptions;” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: May 6, 2004. pg. C.1

Huber, Peter W “Getting Over Oil” Commentary, v.120, n.2, (Sep 2005), p.53 ISSN: 0010-2601 

Huebner, Albert L “The Cost of Fossil Fuels” Humanist, v.63, n.2, (Mar-Apr 2003), p.7 ISSN: 0018-7399    

Kazimi,  Camilla. “Valuing Alternative-Fuel Vehicles in Southern California” The American Economic Review, Vol. 87, No. 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Hundred and Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association. (May, 1997), pp. 265-271.

KNIGHT, JUDSON, M. C. NAGEL, and ERIC V.D. LUFT "Is present global warming due more to human activity than to natural geologic trends." Science in Dispute. Ed. Neil Schlager. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 82-91. 

LeBlanc, Jennifer. "Ethanol." Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Eds. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Lerner. Vol. 2. 3rd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 1518-1519. 6 vols.

Lowe Ian. A Sustainable Energy Future. Issues. Victoria: Sep 2006., Iss. 76;  pg. 45, 3 pgs

Mackintosh, James. “Alternative sources: The old ways are still the best”.  Financial Times. 29 May 2006

Mele, Jim. “Preparing the Shop for Alternative Fuels” Fleet Owner, Mar. 1992

Mowery, Deborah L. "Biofuels." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Energy. Ed. John Zumerchik. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 157-166. 3 vols. 

Morris, David . “Turn On the Electric Road” New York Times. New York, N.Y.: Oct 8, 2006. pg. 14.13

Randerson, James “Hydrogen evangelists spread the word”. New Scientist. London: Dec 20, 2003-Jan 9, 2004.Vol.180, Iss. 2426-2428;  pg. 17

Robinson, Richard. "Human Impacts." Plant Sciences. Ed. Richard Robinson. Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 25-30. 4 vols. 

Romm, Joseph “The car and fuel of the future”. Energy Policy. Kidlington: Nov 2006.Vol.34, Iss. 17;  pg. 2609.

SILBERGELD, ELLEN, and VALERIE THOMAS. "Fuel Additives." Encyclopedia of Public Health. Ed. Lester Breslow. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 463-464. 4 vols. 

Socolow, Robert. “Solving the Climate Problem” Environment, v.46, n.10, (Dec 2004), p.8 ISSN: 0013-9157

Sohn, Mary L. "Fossil Fuels." Chemistry: Foundations and Applications. Ed. J. J. Lagowski. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 119-122. 4 vols.

Schlager, Neil. "The Carbon Cycle." Science of Everyday Things. Ed. Vol. 4: Real-Life Earth Science. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 323-330. 4 vols.

Schwoon, Malte. “Simulating the adoption of fuel cell vehicles” Journal of Evolutionary Economics. Oct. 2006 Vol 16, Iss4, pg. 435

Starr Chauncey and Milton F. Searl. “Energy Sources: A Realistic Outlook” Science, New Series, Vol. 256, No. 5059. (May 15, 1992), pp. 981-987.

Templeman, John. “Fill ‘Er Up—With Hydrogen, Please.” Business Week.  Mar 4, 1991.

Thomas, Sharon and Marcia Zalbowitz. “Fuel Cells: Green Power”.  Los Alamos National Labaratory.  July 31, 2000. 

Tucker, Libby. “Fuel For Debate; Gas Guzzlers are on environmental hazard.” Science World. Apr. 18, 2003.

TULLOCH, DAVID, M. C. NAGEL, and DAVID PETECHUK. "Will a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine exist within the next decade." Science in Dispute. Ed. Neil Schlager. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 67-75. 

Ulrich, Lawrence. “The Axis of Diesel”. Fortune. New York: Oct 16, 2006.Vol.154, Iss. 8;  pg. 63

Weiss, Peter . “Hydrogen hopes in carbon shells” Science News. Washington: Aug 19, 2006.Vol.170, Iss. 8;  pg. 125, 2 pgs

Winsche, W.E., K. C. Hoffman and F. J. Salzano “Hydrogen: Its Future Role in the Nation's Energy Economy” Science, New Series, Vol. 180, No. 4093. (Jun. 29, 1973), pp. 1325-1332.

White, Angel. “Fossil fuel, low CO2 too?”. Oil & Gas Journal. Tulsa: Jun 26, 2006.Vol.104, Iss. 24;  pg. 17, 1 pgs

Whitworth, Ben. “Hydrogen hits the road” Professional Engineering. Bury St. Edmunds: Mar 26, 2003.Vol.16, Iss. 6;  pg. 24, 1 pgs

Zumerchik, John. "Alternative Fuels and Vehicles." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Energy. Ed. John Zumerchik. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 66-69. 3 vols.

Zumerchik, John, and Herman Bieber. "Synthetic Fuels." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Energy. Ed. John Zumerchik. Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 1114-1117. 3 vols.