Cooperative Living June 2021 - 26

CloserLook | by Maria Kanevsky, Contributing Columnist
Refuel with
hydrogen and
gain more than
300 miles of
driving range.
Scientists are working
to find new ways to
expand ethanol
production by
experimenting with
different plants.
Low-Carbon Alternative Fuels for Vehicles
A slow but sure shift from the traditional gasoline pump
W
hen it's time to fuel up your
vehicle, you're likely heading
to the gas station or an EV
charging station like most drivers in the
U.S. But what if you owned a vehicle
fueled by vegetable oil?
It may sound far-fetched, but
alternative vehicle fuels like hydrogen
and biofuel are quickly gaining
attention across the nation. This
shift from gasoline-powered vehicles
comes with several benefits, including
improving the country's energy security
and reducing vehicle emissions.
HYDROGEN POWER
One of the newest alternative ways
to power a vehicle is with hydrogen
in the form of a fuel cell. This fuel is
potentially free of emissions and can
be produced using domestic resources.
The hydrogen goes through an
electrochemical process to produce
electricity, which then powers your car.
The only byproducts of this process are
water and heat, emitted in the form of
water vapor and warm air. Since the
byproducts are clean, vehicles powered
by hydrogen fuel cells produce no
tailpipe emissions.
Extracting the hydrogen itself can
be a carbon-free process, depending on
the way it's done. One way is through
electrolysis, which requires power from
24 | Cooperative Living | June 2021
another energy source. Using renewable
energy (like solar or wind energy) to
power electrolysis provides a carbonfree
process to extract the hydrogen.
Other hydrogen sources, such as natural
gas, are less sustainable because they
emit carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
With hydrogen, drivers can refuel a
vehicle in under five minutes and gain
more than 300 miles of driving range.
However, there are only a limited
number of hydrogen refueling stations
in the U.S., and currently most of these
are in California.
Hydrogen fuel cells are also very
expensive to produce and transport,
which is a major obstacle for
widespread hydrogen fuel cell
technology
technology. Commercial efforts are
the infrastructure and lower costs.
costs.
Commercial efforts are
underway to determine how to expand
lower
how to expand
BIOFUEL POWER
Renewable biofuels are produced
re produced
from biomass which can be used in
gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles.
an be used in
wered
these fuels
nition
One of the most common biofuelsbiofuels
is ethanol, which is produced fromoduced from
sugars in corn or other grains, likegrains, like
sugar cane, sugar beets or rice.
One of the most common biofuels
mon
or rice.
Sometimes biofuels can be blended
with gasoline or diesel, or they can
can be blended
or they can
vehicles.
Like gasoline or diesel, these fuels
power compression-ignition engines.
engines.
simply be used in pure form. Almost
all gasoline sold in the U.S. includes
10% ethanol blended into the fuel,
mostly from distilled corn. Scientists are
working to find new ways to expand
ethanol production by experimenting
with different plants.
FATTY FUEL
Biodiesel, a different form of biofuel,
can be produced from vegetable oil,
animal fats or recycled cooking grease
to power older cars that run on diesel.
Since biodiesel is nontoxic and
biodegradable, it is much safer than
petroleum diesel if released into the
environment. The most common
sources for biodiesel production in
the U.S. are soybean oil, corn oil and
recycled feedstocks. Less common
options can be produced from algae,
municipal waste and wood chips.
These alternative vehicle fuel
options may not be mainstream yet,
but over time, they may help lower our
reliance on gasoline and diesel. As a
bonus, these clean-burning options
help to improve air quality and lower
greenhouse gas emissions from the
transportation sector. 
Maria Kanevsky writes on consumer
and cooperative affairs for the National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
co-opliving.com
PHOTO COURTESY DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living June 2021

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