Dependence on Fossil Fuels: The Fossil Fuel Era

The global dependence on fossil fuels developed during the Industrial Revolution, two centuries of economic and social development that transformed the way modern humans work and live. Most historians agree that the Industrial Revolution began in the early 1700s in Great Britain when machinery began to replace manual labor and animal power, and fossil fuels replaced wind, water, and wood as main energy sources. Before this period in history, humans manufactured goods by hand or using very simple machines, and most people worked at their homes, which were typically located in rural areas. (more…)

Fossil Fuel Energy Conservation versus Replacement

fuel energy conservation
As a reaction to these historical perspectives, the building industry has witnessed a certain rise in design responses to regional climatic conditions, as part of a powerful efficiency and energy conservation push since the 1970s. More recently, the zero green house gas emsission and office building has become a design concept as part of strategies to introduce urban renewable energy as an increasing contributor to managing urban energy supplies. (more…)

Modernizing Bioenergy – Biomass as Energy Source

modernizing bioenergy biomass
Estimation of the future technical potential of biomass as an energy source is dependent on assumptions with respect to land availability and productivity as well as conversion technologies. With the emergence of energy crops as the major source of biomass fuel, land use conflicts, especially in relation to food production, may arise. However, with efficient agricultural practices, plantations and crops could supply a large proportion of energy needs, with residues playing a smaller role without compromising food production or further intensifying agricultural practices. (more…)

Bioenergy Life Cycles Assessment | Green House Gases Emissions

bioenergy greenhouse
The quantification of the actual reduction in green house gases sourcess emissions resulting from the substitution of fossil fuels with energy from waste biomass requires a complete lifecycle assessment (LCA). A systematic framework for estimating the net Green House Gases emissions from bioenergy systems and comparing them against the fossil fuel reference system that it would replace has been developed. The major considerations of the life cycle assessment approach to quantifying the greenhouse impacts of bioenergy are as follows: (more…)

Gasoline Additive: Fuel Efficiency and Reduce Automotive Emissions

gasoline additive
The development and blending of gasoline additives and petroleum additivies are undertaken for the most part by the petroleum refining industry. Additives are essential to the economic well-being of the industry because they tend to boost sales for gasoline fuel and diesel fuel. In most cases, gasoline additives do not differ in price by more than three to four cents a gallon. The recently developed additives do not necessarily sacrifice fuel efficiency and fuel savings for higher octane numbers. They are multifunctional. In addition to boosting octane ratings they may also clean the engine, which, in turn, leads to greater fuel efficiency. (more…)

Ecological Footprint Calculation and Resource Consumption

ecological footprint
The ecological footprint definition is a measurement that compares rates of human resource consumption and waste generation with the biosphere’s rates of resource regeneration and waste energy assimilation, expressed in terms of the area necessary to maintain these flows. Ecological footprints represent the biologically productive space required to produce the resources and absorb the waste biomass of a given population, organization, or product using prevailing management and technology. (more…)

The Effects of Hybrid Electric Vehicles to Internal Combustion Engines

hybrid-vehicles
The internal combustion engine has dominated the car and light-truck market for over 100 years. Although remarkable improvements have been made over the past 30 years to reduce air pollution problems to nearly zero and to almost double vehicle efficiency, increasing concerns about global warming and energy security are pushing vehicles toward even greater energy efficiency improvements. (more…)

Air Pollution as Fossil Fuels Effects on Environment

Almost all fossil fuels use is by burning them to create energy. Burning process then produces waste products due to impurities in the fuel. There are few particulates as a resides and some gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds. These waste gases are then become air pollution orfossil fuels affecting our environment in destructive ways.

There are several types of air pollution: (more…)

How Fossil Fuels Have Affected Our Environment and Lives

fossil fuels environment
In the beginning, human progress was limited by the amount of work in single day. This is only to feed themselves and their families. At that time, the economy was largely rural as a result. In the early of 19th century, more intelligent human began to looking for energy resources to support their lives. They began to develop coal, oil, and other stored energy to supplement their prime energy source: sunlight. Sunlight energy results in overgrown plant and animal growth over huge and dispersed areas and geologic time periods. There was, and will continue to be, abundant solar energy sources available to get more fossil fuel, to do research on how to exploit these resources more efficiently, and to use them in daily life and changing their cultures. (more…)