Biomass fuel is also known as Bio-fuel. Bio-fuel is defined as liquid, solid or gaseous fuel that consists of biomass. Biomass fuels can be used for generating power and also for heating purposes.

Biomass fuels can help greatly in reducing the various greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time can increase energy security by being an alternative to fossil fuels. Today, you will find expansion of bio-fuel industries in Asia, Europe, and America.

Bio-fuels are most commonly used in automotive transport like the E10 fuel. They can easily be produced from any source containing carbon like plants. Biomass is mostly derived from living organisms, which includes animals, plants, and their by-products. Manure, crop residues and garden waste are some of the different sources of biomass. This is a renewable energy source that is associated to the carbon cycle as compared to various natural resources like coal, petroleum, and nuclear energy.

Some of the most popular agricultural products that are grown for the purpose of creating Bio-fuel in the United States are soybeans and corn while Europe uses wheat, rapeseed and sugar beet; sugar cane is grown in Brazil, Jatropha in India and palm oil in South-East Asia.

In the early part of 2007, Diversified Energy Corporation with the help of North Carolina State University (NCSU) geared itself for a breakthrough in biofuel technology, which has been named Centia. Centia has been positioned for producing military and commercial jet fuel and can even act as a biodiesel additive in cold or freezing weather. The process of developing Centia looks promising and is expected to deliver a high energy efficiency level that can be in excess of 85%.

There are a wide variety of scientific experiments being conducted, globally, to produce a viable bio-fuel that will be efficient and environmentally friendly. Scientists have started to look beyond the bio-fuels and started to work on the various byproducts of bio-fuel that can be used and even consumed as food in our daily lives.

Considered as an integral part of the green revolution, bio-fuels offer quite a few advantages over other fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. Bio fuels have the ability to recycle carbon dioxide with every growing season by getting it from the air to convert it into biomass. So unlike coal, which upon burning releases carbon, biomass in a way traps all the carbon that is in the air. This is an important aspect from the point of view of global warming because it doesnt release any carbon components into the air. The biggest advantage over conventional fuel is that bio-fuel is renewable and hence they will not deplete the limited natural resources of our planet.
Common Biomass Fuels
Here is a list of some of the most common first generation Biomass fuels:

Vegetable oil
Vegetable oil is used for cooking food and also as a fuel. Vegetable oil is not high quality oil for fuel use but it is still used in older diesel engines, which are equipped with an indirect injection system.

In most of the cases, vegetable oil is used for manufacturing bio-diesel that is compatible with most of the diesel engines. It is normally blended with conventional diesel fuel for optimum efficiency.

Bio-diesel
Bio-diesel is one of the most common Bio-fuels in Europe. It is produced mainly from fats or oils using the process of trans-esterification. It is a liquid that has a similar composition like that of mineral diesel. The chemical name for bio-diesel is fatty acid methyl ester (FAME).

The oil is mixed with methanol or ethanol and sodium hydroxide, which initiates a chemical reaction to produce glycerol and bio-diesel (FAME). The process produces 1 part of glycerol per 10 parts of bio-diesel.

Bio-diesel is extensively used in diesel engines after it is blended with mineral diesel. Some countries like Germany have manufacturers Volkswagen, who provide a cover on their diesel engines as a part of their warranty for 100% bio-diesel use.

A majority of vehicle manufacturers still limit to use of 15% bio-diesel blended with mineral diesel. In some of the European countries, 5% bio-diesel blend is widely used and even available at gas stations

Bio-ethanol
Ethanol is one of the most common Bio-fuels across the world. It is also known as an alcohol fuel and is produced by fermenting sugars, which are derived from corn, wheat, sugar cane and sugar beet. The various production methods for ethanol are fermentation of the sugars, enzymatic digestion, distillation and drying.

The use of Ethanol has been widely seen in petrol engines where it replaces gasoline. Almost all the petrol engines in the world can run on 15% blends of bio-ethanol with gasoline.

With an eye on the diminishing natural resources, its time for us to usher in the bio-fuel era!

Bio-Fuels: The Fuel Of The Future is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com

Third World and Climate modification

By definition, climate modification impacts the globe as a whole. That being said, is it possible to predict specific results in certain regions of the world? While there is no definitive answer, the impact on third world countries in Asia and Africa has been the subject of much discussion. Lets take a look.

Africa is considered a third world continent because a vast majority of the African countries have underdeveloped economies and living standards. Unfortunately, Africa is also believed to be one of the most heavily impacted areas when it comes to climate modification. More than half the people in Africa live in rural areas with agricultural economies. These communities rely heavily on naturally occurring rain resources, to wit, planned irrigation is minimal. This, of course, results in the horrific famines we see on television. Climate modification is predicted to devastate Africa because it is believed the greenhouse effect will reduce the amount of rain received on the continent. As the Sahara Desert expands, less land will be available for farming and the problem will grow worse. Malnutrition from famines will lead to weak immune systems and disease will be prevalent. If the predictions are accurate, Africa could become a living nightmare.

Climate modification could devastate Asia as well. You might be surprised to learn that over 60 percent of the human population lives in greater Asia. This mass of humanity has stretched agricultural and health resources to the maximum. To top it off, large population centers sit right on the coastline in flat areas only a few feet above sea level.

If climate modification trends continue, we will be saying goodbye to large chunks of Asia. Cities such as Jakarta, Tokyo and Bangkok sit at sea level. If the melting polar caps result in a three foot rise in sea levels as predicted, these cities will be underwater. Countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh are expected to lose 37,000 square miles of coastline under a similar situation. Over 34 million people will suddenly have to move to already congested population centers. Economies, health care and food supplies will undoubtedly reach critical levels.

Is there any good news when discussing the third world and climate modification? Yes. The first step is to put regulations in place that reduce greenhouse gases. Second, proactive planning must be undertaken to account for these potential effects of third world climate modification.

Asia, Africa and Climate Modification is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com

In my opinion, perhaps we should not assume that our species is central to the world and planet at large. A human economic system should ideally also take into account the well being of the entire ecosystem, which is body of Mother Earth. I will tend to regard the Mother Earth as a living consciousness with her various elements (water, air, wildlife, etc) constantly seeking to remain in harmonious equilibrium. Come to think of it, isn’t this quite like the way the body of a living being functions?

Perhaps, economy and civilisation’s progress should not be about humans for humans only. We tend to see ‘less-than-holistically’ and believe that money-making has little or nothing to do with the welfare of our Mother Earth and the ecosystem. But the fact is we humans do take sustenance from the atmosphere, animal and plant kingdoms; therefore we are dependent upon other species and resources on Earth. As such, human activities should be accounted for within a equation that does not place the human species upon a pedestal (which is being treated as superior); but rather assigns the ‘so-called intelligent biped’ objectively with other species and elements of this diverse planet. In my opinion, the current human activities are simply too self-absorbed within our own kind. The truth of things is that everything, ‘however insignificant it may appear to be, is in actual fact, unique. “Feeling special” and “above others” are simply beliefs concocted by the human psyche, and have relevance only in a human society.

Holistic & equitable replenishment & redistribution amongst all elements and species on Earth should be the a central theme for sustainable living, instead of the human biased “competitive” model. I feel that perhaps recycling of used materials may not be enough. Humans, being the so-called intelligent life form on Earth should actively develop sciences that deal with replenishment of plants, animal kingdoms and elements, keeping resources in equilibrium.

To achieve all that, perhaps the very mindset that first sets competition in motion has to be re-evaluated. Well, this ideal is certainly easier said than done.

Thank you for reading. I hope it has been interesting for you.

Are We Humans Really The Masters Of This Planet? is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com

So who are making these claims? Well there are many scientists that have been looking at the earths climates and weather systems for a long time and trying to make sense of them. The earliest reason for doing this was not to measure the affect of the greenhouse gases that are magnifying the suns intensity and causing the heat to stay within it. They originally wanted to learn about the earth so that they could by recognizing signs be could warn of natural disasters like earth quakes and hurricanes and tsunamis. Since they have kept data to look for these signs they have noticed disturbing trends in things like the average temperature and the increasing sea level and other things like the sized of the ice cap over Antarctica and they seem to only be going in one direction which spells trouble.

Then they start looking for why this is happening, and the buzzword is generally global warming. They cite the increase in certain gases like CO2 which are purportedly on the rise do to the millions of different engines that burn fossil fuels across the world. Supposedly this changes the qualities of the atmosphere that hold in the energy from the sun much like a green house does. What people dont realize is that these are all theories to explain trends in the environment that no one has any clue about. We know that Antarctica melts in places and at certain times and since we have been measuring these things it appears that the land mass has gotten smallerbut this is very flawed thinking.

You see we have only been able to make specialized measurements like this for several decades which may seem like a long enough time to make good guesses about the earth which is thousands of years old (some even say billions). You just cant make definitive statements about trends that may just be natural cycles that are 500 years in length. Even 100 year or 50 year cycles would not have been fully measured yet. So we must cool our jets and take ourselves so seriously. We know a lot less about the melting Antarctica and many other things that seem to be slowly headed toward disaster than we think.

Antarctica, Is It Really In Danger? is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com

Wind is an indirect version of solar power. Different surfaces on the Earth react differently to being hit by sunlight, particular in regards to heat. As sunlight heats up surfaces, they warm up at different rates. The surround air also warms up at different rates, fertilizing the wind process. Temperatures over a body of water like a lake will always be cooler than temperatures over rocky ground. Hot air rises and cool air rushes into fill such voids. As this process occurs, the rushing air manifests as wind and an incredibly cheap and clean energy source.

The fact that wind is a naturally occurring event makes it a great energy source. Consider the following:

1. Wind is a renewable energy source because it will exist as long as sunlight beats down on us.

2. Wind has been used by man as an energy source ever since weve sailed boats.

3. The first windmills were used to turn wheels to grind grain in Iran.

4. American colonist used windmills to move water, grind grain and cut wood.

5. Wind energy harnessed by windmills was a dominant source of energy in rural America in the 1920s.

6. In modern times, California is the biggest user of wind power and produces twice as much electricity as any other state.

7. Modern windmills actually come in two forms, vertical and horizontal models.

8. Horizontal windmills are the stereotypical version that comes to your mind when the word is mentioned.

9. Vertical mills look like upside down egg beaters, but are hypnotic when they spin.

10. Unlike traditional utilities, most energy produced by wind is done by private businesses and sold to utilities through an electric grid hookup.

11. Wind power in the U.S. generates a whopping 17 billion kilowatts per year, more than enough to provide all electrical needs for the city of Chicago.

12. More than 30 states have wind farms generating and supplying electricity to utility companies.

13. California, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wyoming are the dominant forces in producing energy from wind.

14. The biggest energy producer from wind is Germany, which is also dominant in solar power production.

For many, these wind findings will be a surprise. The sole fact that there is enough power produced by wind energy to handle a city the size of Chicago is pretty impressive. As we move into the 21st century, new technology is heading in the direction of creating wind energy platforms for individual residences.

An Overview of Wind as an Energy Source is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com

In 2005, a record-high 51.5 percent (51.3 million tons) of all paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) hopes to increase that number and has set an ambitious goal of 55 percent recovery by 2012.

Every American can do his or her part. Although each community’s recycling programs may be different, you can generally recycle newspapers, corrugated containers (cardboard), direct mail, magazines and catalogs. Check with your local municipality to find out what you can and cannot recycle.

The AF&PA Recycling Awards were created to recognize outstanding individual, business community and school paper recycling efforts. In 2006, the program was expanded to include a category for schools.

This year’s award winners are:

Ed Hurley Memorial Paper Recycling Award (for individual achievement)

Joel Ostroff, Macon County, North Carolina

AF&PA Business Leadership Recycling Awards

Small Business: Bluegrass Regional Recycling Corporation, Richmond, Kentucky

Large Business: Brewer Science, Inc., Rolla, Missouri

AF&PA Community Recycling Awards

Small Community: North-field, Minnesota

Large Community: Seattle, Washington

AF&PA School Recycling Awards

Classroom: Heber Springs High School, Heber Springs, Arkansas

Schoolwide: Mountain Home High School, Mountain Home, Arkansas

College & University: tie between the University of Colorado at Boulder in Boulder, Colorado, and the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon

“This year’s Recycling Award winners have exhibited innovation and social responsibility,” said AF&PA President & CEO W. Henson Moore. “Their accomplishments in recycling have set new precedents.”

Americans Get Serious About Recycling is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com

Keeping America beautiful does not have to be a daunting task; there are many ways to lend a hand. People can get involved by joining in one or more of the 30,000 Great American Cleanup activities taking place throughout all 50 states through the end of May. Anytime of the year, you can follow these five steps for combating litter, reducing waste and beautifying communities:

Recycle. Find out how to recycle in your area and do your part. Also, try to “complete the loop” by purchasing recycled products whenever possible.

Reuse the products you can. There are hundreds of uses for everyday items such as plastic grocery bags, food and beverage containers or scrap paper.

Properly dispose of cigarette butts. If you smoke, carry a personal ashtray and always use public ashtrays when smoking outdoors. Quitting smoking is good for both your health and the environment.

Create a beautiful green space by planting trees, flowers and shrubs in an area in need of improvement in your community.

Teach a child about personal responsibility, the environment and recycling. It’s important that future generations understand and respect the environment. Hands-on community improvement events like the Great American Cleanup are a great way to spend some time with the kids.

America’s companies are also dedicated to supporting and sponsoring the efforts for the 2006 Great American Cleanup. The 2006 Great American Cleanup National Sponsors are American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Firestone Complete Auto Care TiresPlus, GLAD ForceFlex Trash Bags from The Glad Products Company, Pepsi-Cola Company, SAM’S CLUB, Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Sparkle Paper Towels from Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Troy-Bilt, Waste Management, Inc. and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. Educational Partner: Rubber Manufacturers Association.

America’s Beauty Is Everywhere You Make It is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com

This contaminated air circulates through your home and either settles on flat surfaces in the form of dust or is breathed in by you and your family.

Fortunately, your house does not have to fall victim to these airborne pests. Air purifiers are more common and affordable today than ever before. If you do not have an air purifier, knowing the different types of air filtration devices will help you before you buy your own.

1. HEPA filters: Short for “High Efficiency Particulate Air filters”, these devices use a cloth-like filter which can trap more than 99.97% of particles in your house. The filter lasts a couple of years depending on the condition of the air and can actually trap more pollutants than other filters. The downside is the HEPA filter is noisier than its competitors and does not eliminate gases or odors

2. Ionic Filters: Ionic filters purify the air by sending our ions which oppositely charge the particles so they stick together and collect on magnetic plates inside the filter (much like how your hair sticks to a balloon after it has been rubbed on your head). These devices are often a favorite among customers because of how silent they are. They are even effective enough to clean viruses, gases, allergens and bacteria out of your household air.

3. Carbon air filters: These devices are, by far, the most effective odor removers on the market. They work though a system of highly absorbent pores which trap molecules by forming a strong chemical bond. They don’t, however, trap any airborne allergens or germs.

4. Ultra-Violet Light filter: Ultra violet light haven been proven to sterilize micro-organisms if they are exposed to the right amount of light for a certain length of time. Alone, there is some doubt to the effectiveness of these filters because micro-organisms may not be exposed to the light long enough while they are passing though the air. In order for ultra violet work to be successful, HEPA is used to capture the air long enough to be sterilized by the light. While ultra violet kills microorganisms, HEPA can rid your house of allergens.

5. Hydroxyl Radical filter: Hydroxyl radicals occur naturally in the earth’s atmosphere and are powerful cleansing agents. They are, in fact the most powerful method of sanitizing mold and other harmful bacteria.

These five types of filters are the most popular and dependable on the market. Now that you have a firm understanding of how these filters work and what exactly they clean out of household air, do your homework. There are many great filter providers online which can lead you to the best filter for your budget.

Air Purifiers and Filters Guide is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com

In its intentional use, solar power gave us heat and light. As evolution worked its magic solar power was not an alternative source of power, it was the- source of power as it warmed the earth and moved the air. Now, our modern technology has evolved to a point where we can once again use solar power to warm and move our air. But why should we use solar power when the same planet that gave us the sun gave us the coal to accomplish the same task? There are many reasons, and most of them are of the kind that people can identify with; they are self serving and entirely hedonistic.

Solar leads to cost savings

All one has to do these days is open up an electric and heat bill to see how much it costs to heat and light your home. Solar power is a great way to just about eliminate the costs associated with lighting and heating your home. For those that are using solar powered heating and lighting equipment today there is little if any cost associated with heating and lighting their homes. Yes, there is an up-front cost to installing these units but pay back times through cost savings and tax credits are getting shorter and shorter due to better technology and awareness. These current users report that they actually make money from using solar power systems just by paying a little closer attention to how they use the power that they have. For the most part, they indicate that a 30 second glance at back-up batteries for piece of mind is all the extra time required to start saving money.

Money maker

Some may say that piece of mind doesn’t go very far when it comes to a series of cloudy days. Batteries, they say, can run out or get low. From all reports, however, cloudy day issues, in a majority of the worlds climates, are not an issue. In fact, a majority of users find that they have an excess of electricity that ends up just going to waste. Or so most people- once – thought. Although the entire US is not quite there yet most sates require that utilities buy back excess power generated from those desiring to remain on the power grid. Although it may sound a bit odd, solar power users find that their electric meters actually run backward quite a bit of the time when solar power systems are in use. God forbid there were a few weeks of nothing but clouds and cold, but if there are the owner is free to use the power that they sold back to the utility. Past the home front, add a water wheel and a wind mill and you have a nice little income generator with the electric utility paying you.

Off the grid

There is a certain segment of the population that just does not want to be connected to the grid, as the power and information society calls it. For these people solar power is a great option. Solar units are fairly low cost and getting lower cost every day. They can also withstand a 1 hailstone traveling at 50mph. For survivalists or even for a farmer that needs to irrigate his crops in the middle of nowhere, solar is the way to go.

Develop a new technology

Man at his basic is a curious being. What if? Is always being thought about whether its just a casual thought during the day or figuring out how to get to Mars. Advancing technology is just who man is. Using solar may satisfy our current environmental issues but it also satisfies our intellectual needs. If solar power isnt used it wont advance and our need to know wont be satisfied. Intellectually, solar is a great idea.

Leave the world a better place

Throughout time man has found a way to screw up the planet in one way or another. Most of the time, man has screwed up because of ignorance or with good intentions. Using solar, at the moment, appears to be one of those good intentions. It may end up being a bad thing 200 years down the road, but for now, it may be one of the only ways to leave the world a little better then when we got here.

Why Use Solar Power. Some Great Reasons is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com

Constructed from recycled milk jugs and plastic containers, recycled plastic lumber is formed into many of the profiles you would expect from traditional lumber. This feature allows it to be sawed, cut and screwed much the same as wood lumber. It is now being used for decking, railings, picnic tables, benches, patio furniture and even childrens playground equipment. Consumers can rest assured that the use of recycled poly lumber helps to keep billions of pounds of recyclable plastics from entering our every growing landfills. Due to increased environmental awareness post consumer plastic bottle recycling has dramatically increased over the past ten years from 234 million pounds to over a staggering 1.5 billion pounds.

Traditional hardwood lumber is often treated with hazardous chemicals to ward off possible insect attacks. It also will over time need sanding and some type of refinishing and will also start to rot if left out in the elements for prolonged periods of time. On the contrary, plastic lumber contains no hazardous chemicals and can not leak or contaminate the soil nor does it require any maintenance beyond cleaning as needed which usually just requires hosing off.

Recycled plastic lumber is built to withstand all of the elements from frosty winters, to tropical sun and salty, windy coastal weather. This plastic lumber is weighty and not to be confused with a thin plastic product that his formed and molded into chairs that you find at many home supply stores. Poly lumber is actually formed into 2×4s, 2×6s and the like to then be cut, screwed and assembled into furniture that will adorn your patio, deck, poolside or garden. New applications for this product are being thought up every day. The most recent suggestion was for an artificial reef which would have a life span of 60 years submerged in the ocean.

Recycled plastic lumber is an economically viable alternative to traditional hardwood lumber. It is built to last a lifetime so there will be no replacing your splintering, bug infested or rotting patio furniture in a matter of years. Recycled plastic lumber is a friend to numerous environmental issues such as deforestation. By using recycled products for furniture you are helping to reduce the use of our forests and precious air filtering trees for our day to day needs! We all know that our forests and trees play a major role in helping prevent global warming.

Therefore, recycled plastic lumber is quickly becoming a resource that is sought out in all types of applications with both environmental advantages as well as economical advantages. Recycled plastic lumber is definitely a product worth looking into with virtually no maintenance the advantages of this environmentally friendly product is undeniable.

Why Use Recycled Plastic Lumber? is a post from: Reference Education Center | FTP2009Istanbul.com