Biofuel in the United States

The United States used biofuel in the beginning of the 20th century. For example, models of Ford T ran with ethanol fuel. Then the interest in biofuels declined till the first and second oil shock (1973 and 1979).

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The United States produces mainly biodiesel (the largest user is the U.S. Army^{[citation needed]}) and ethanol fuel, which is mainly made from corn (food bioethanol). As of 2005, the United States is the largest producer of ethanol with 16 billion liters/year while Brazil produced nearly the same amount (15.5 billion liters).^{[citation needed]} Cellulosic biofuels are under development, to avoid upward pressure on food prices and land use changes that would be expected to result from a major increase in use of food biofuels.

Biofuels are mainly used mixed with fossil fuels. They are also used as additives. Most cars on the road today in the U.S. can run on blends of up to 10% ethanol, and motor vehicle manufacturers already produce vehicles designed to run on much higher ethanol blends. Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and GM are among the automobile companies that sell “flexible-fuel” cars, trucks, and minivans that can use gasoline and ethanol blends ranging from pure gasoline up to 85% ethanol (E85). By mid-2006, there were approximately six million E85-compatible vehicles on U.S. roads.^[1]

The challenge is to expand the market for biofuels beyond the farm states where they have been most popular to date.^[2] Flex-fuel vehicles are assisting in this transition because they allow drivers to choose different fuels based on price and availability. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, which calls for 7.5 billion gallons of biofuels to be used annually by 2012, will also help to expand the market.^[3]

It should also be noted that the growing ethanol and biodiesel industries are providing jobs in plant construction, operations, and maintenance, mostly in rural communities. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, the ethanol industry created almost 154,000 U.S. jobs in 2005 alone, boosting household income by $5.7 billion. It also contributed about $3.5 billion in tax revenues at the local, state, and federal levels.^[4]

The Department of Energy established the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in 1974 and started to work in 1977. The NREL publish papers on biofuels. Congress also voted the Energy Policy Act in 1994 and a newer in 2005 to promote renewable fuels.

See also

• Biobutanol
• Biorefinery
• Energy policy of the United States
• Ethanol fuel in the United States
• E85 in the United States
• Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States
• Renewable energy commercialization in the United States

References

1. ^ Worldwatch Institute and Center for American Progress (2006). American energy: The renewable path to energy security
2. ^ "The craze for maize", The Economist, May 12, 2007, pp.33-34
3. ^ Worldwatch Institute and Center for American Progress (2006). American energy: The renewable path to energy security
4. ^ Worldwatch Institute and Center for American Progress (2006). American energy: The renewable path to energy security