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Energy for the Future: Discussion
The peak oil theory which is also known as the Herberts peak was forwarded by Dr. M. King Herbert a geophysicist who forecasted that the oil deposits of the world will start declining after reaching a maximum point of production. his theory stated that the oil supplies would continue increasing up to a particular point in time and then they would start reducing gradually. This reduction is due to the ever-increasing global demand for oil as the world population increases and researchers continue finding newer uses for products whose production heavily depends on oil, yet the highest point of oil discovery was already reached in 1962. (Life after the Crash).
The theory implies that there is a lot of oil produced on the upward sloping side of the curve as it approaches the maximum point and then it becomes gradually lesser on the downward-sloping side of the curve thus necessitating an increase in the world prices and production costs. This is more so because the downward sloping side corresponds with higher demand. The maximum point of this curve is found at the point where half of the global oil deposits have been used and thus when the user goes past this point the production and supply of oil will start reducing while on the other hand, the costs for its production will be increasing.
The world we are living in today has been termed as addicted to oil. This is because almost everything that we use is in one way or the other dependent on oil. The use of oil has encompassed all spheres of human existence on this planet. ( 2008 Sacramento peak of an oil conference.) With improved technology in healthcare, food production, and other aspects which improve the quality of life, the world population has been constantly increasing and in the next 20 to 30 years it is estimated that the world population might actually double.
This will spell doom for most countries because the more the world becomes industrialized the more dependent on oil we become. Should we reach the post-oil peak era, a lot of areas of our lives will be affected? Generally when the supply of a product has reduced the prices for that particular product will go up.
Currently, the most visible effect we are already feeling all over the world is the increase in fuel prices due to the increase in prices of crude oil. Since transport is the sector most directly affected by fluctuations in oil prices, and transport services also influence almost all other sectors of the world economies, the increase in prices for oil will definitely affect other sectors. This increase in transportation cost will lead to an increase in prices for almost everything all over the world (Peak Oil Debunked.2006).
When prices increase, there will be widespread inflation, more so worldwide recession of a magnitude we may not be able to imagine currently. The major concern is the decline in food production if an alternative is found in good time. This is because many aspects of food production depend on oil. To start with, the production of fertilizer is heavily dependent on oil. A reduction in the supply of oil for this purpose means that there will be decreased productivity of farms and definitely a major decline in food quantities at a time it is estimated that the world population will almost double. There will be a worldwide food crisis. (Life After the Oil Crash. 2006).
It is not debatable that almost all modern technological inventions are oil reliant. Some of these inventions are: the production of medicinal drugs, making of plastics, some defense systems, distribution of water in cities and towns, computer manufacturing, vehicle manufacturing, and many more are all dependent on oil.
To manufacture bio-fuels the biomass is heated in a place with a lot of oxygen and then through gasification, its heated where there is less oxygen to even higher temperature ranging between 600 to 1000 degrees till it produces a blend of carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrogen, which is called syngas . The uses for this are: burnt for industrial uses, purified to be used instead of natural gas, or transformed further to make methanol. (ScienceDaily, 2008)
Pyrolysis can be used to warm up the biogas up to 300 to 500 degrees without any air to vaporize to give out biocrude which is then transformed into gasoline and a variety of other chemicals. Another process through which biogas can be made is through anaerobic digestion whereby the bacteria digests the biogas without oxygen to produce methane and carbon dioxide. This is the biogas. (Reith E.,Sherow2005)
One of the advantages of biofuels is that they reduce greenhouse gas production in comparison to petroleum fuels and this contributes to their environmental friendliness. Since the price of petrol is always increasing, it is founded that the price of bio-fuels is cheaper since the raw materials are available thus its seen as a cost-cutter for those who have cars. The production of materials for biofuels is a labor-intensive process and as has been established by the UKs Overseas Development Institute, this has created jobs for many people thus leading to economic development in some countries. When changing over to use bio-fuel like bio-diesel, it is a good thing that the car owners do not have to alter their cars and can just mix them without any problem.
Since the technology for making some of these bio-fuels is widely known by many people and the materials are cheap to obtain, many people are able to make their own bio-fuels easily. In terms of efficiency, a bio-fuel like bio-diesel is considered more efficient than regular diesel since it has a higher cetane number. It is also relatively pure and this helps cars to be in good condition for more years. Some of the biomass used for bio-fuel is actually waste and this helps in waste disposal in a constructive way. ( Eioba your articles. 2007)
It is also notable that the amount of energy used to produce this bio-fuel is also much less in comparison to the production of petroleum fuels. Its production takes less time and is relatively less complex. For many countries, the use of bio-fuel will be a breath of life since almost all countries can produce it as long as they have the technology and the materials required, unlike oil which not all countries have.
Even though bio-fuel may seem to be so environmentally friendly and the perfect answer for the declining oil production, they also have some disadvantages which cannot be overlooked. Some of these disadvantages are that the production of bio-fuel needs vast lands for the production of the crops which can be used in the process. This is a fact which will definitely force more people to acquire more land through deforestation and this may have negative environmental impacts.
Due to the capitalist nature of human beings, man tends to maximize the returns from their efforts thus more farmers will be tempted to change over to growing crops for bio-fuel which may be more profitable. If done on a large scale by many farmers this may cause a food crisis in many countries with food price increases due to food scarcity. Even though it is a widely held belief that bio-fuels reduce the greenhouse effect, scientists from different countries in Europe and the USA have established that rapeseed when burnt produces more nitrous oxide than by some fossil fuels cooling.
It is also a fear that the production of bio-fuels, more notably the first generation type is not sustainable and is seen as a threat to world food availability and to the environment as a whole. Though it would be better to advocate for the production of biofuel by more use of the second generation technique, it is also not viewed as sustainable in the long duration either due to the gas emissions from it.
Works cited
Eioba your articles. 2007. advantages of using biodiesel. Web.
Emily Reith , Tom Sherow.2005. Biofuel Production. 6-12/Chemistry-Biology. Web.
Hubbert Peak of Oil Production.2008 Sacramento peak of oil conference. Web.
Life After the Oil Crash. 2006. Deal With Reality or Reality Will Deal With You. Web.
Peak Oil Debunked. 2006. Web.
Saab biopower. 2007. Release the power of nature.
ScienceDaily. 2008. Breakthrough In Biofuel Production Process. Viewed 21st The greencar website. Web.
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