How Safe IS The Biodiesel for Air Transportation Essay

How Safe IS The Biodiesel for Air Transportation - Essay Example This paper will evaluate the safety of using biodiesel in air transportation. Significance of Air Transportation Critics have challenged the probability of Air transport being the best mode of transport despite the many advantages attributed to it. Irrespective of this, this form of transport is of great significance because it has offered the globe a fast and reliable connectivity. The industry has introduced realms of possibilities. Traversing continents takes a few days or hours depending on the choice of flight connectivity. Air transport is very crucial for global trade especially trade surrounding perishable goods. Tourism is an additional sector that is only a possibility because of air transport. Tourism is an economic stronghold in many nations and contributes immensely to economic growth. Air transportation makes it is simpler for people to import and export culture. In the past, this critical sector has relied on the use of petroleum diesel for its engines. Despite the num erous technological changes that surround the aviation industry, the industry has persisted in its dependence on fossil fuels. However, the recent environmental concerns about the emission of greenhouse gases by fossil fuels, and the resulting consequences have compelled experts to embark on the search for reliable and cleaner sources that promise both economical and environmental sustainability (Pandey 34). Fossil fuels have threatened the environment with the uncontrollable emission of greenhouse gases and hydrocarbons into the environment initiating and enhancing global warming. The search for alternative energy sources has identified biodiesel as a reliable energy source. More importantly, future prospects indicate that biodiesel will be a reliable source to drive the aviation industry. Analysis of the potential benefits of biodiesel presents a promising future. Compared to fossil fuels, biodiesel releases zero percent of sulfates while fossil fuels release a high percentage of these (Metz 30). Moreover, with biodiesel, the aviation industry has the assurance of 78 percent less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Such immense reduction of carbon dioxide has been the central focus of many researchers in the recent past. Intensive research has revealed the different cycles of fossil use and biodiesel use. In the fossil use case, each step involves the release of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere (Pandey 56). However, the cycle does exhibit any possibility of recycling in the atmosphere. On the contrary, fossil fuels bring a new supply of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from the ground. On the other hand, biodiesel use exhibits a possibility of recycling. Sources of biodiesel include feedstock from oils, plants, and algae. Plants utilize carbon dioxide that is available in the atmosphere for the manufacture of carbohydrates that are very crucial for metabolism. Extraction of biodiesel from plant feedstock can produce either first generation of second gener ation biodiesel. Although the processing and use of the biodiesel in aviation releases carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, it does not destruct the carbon dioxide cycle because the amount released becomes critical for the growth of more plants (Ellman 120). Replacing petroleum diesel used in the aviation industry with biodiesel will serve to eliminate the additional release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere from fossil fuels. This will reduce the 78 percent of carbon dioxide