FUEL OF THE FUTURE It is a bright sunny day in eastern Tennessee A Peters looks out on his fields He has common few puffy clouds dot the blue sky Farmer Randall crops such as corn and wheat Tall switchgrass also sways in the breeze The switchgrass will not be used as food Instead it will be made into a fuel called ethanol The plants Peters is growing will power cars as they zoom down the highway Switchgrass can be used to produce biofuel 5 CHAPTER ONE
Restaurant fryer oil is a common source of biodiesel A different type of fuel is being made in Atlanta Georgia A white tanker truck pulls up to a restaurant The driver is not looking for a meal She is collecting used fryer oil Restaurants use this oil to make fried foods Used oil usually goes to waste Today scientists can turn it into a fuel called biodiesel Ethanol and biodiesel are biofuels A biofuel is a fuel produced by a biological process such as plant growth Biofuels may someday replace fossil fuels Fossil fuels are today’s most popular energy source They include gasoline and diesel 6
Fossil Fuels Gas and diesel have been used for more than 100 years They are efficient and powerful Crews drill deep into the ground to find petroleum They pump it to the surface This substance is also called oil It is made into gas and diesel Almost all cars run on these fossil fuels Fossil fuels have downsides Using them releases carbon dioxide This gas traps heat in the atmosphere These emissions lead to climate change Another problem is that fossil fuels are 7 Carbon Footprint A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide each person is responsible for releasing into the atmosphere About 40 percent of a person’s carbon footprint comes from direct energy use Examples of this are riding the school bus or using air conditioning The other 60 percent comes from indirect energy use Examples include eating food that was transported to the grocery store People can reduce their carbon footprints They can buy local foods They can walk instead of drive And they can unplug electronics when not in use
