Thomas j. Catalano

Limitations of Biofuel
Individuals concerned about energy security and carbon dioxide emissions see biofuels as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. However, biofuels also have shortcomings.
For example, it takes more ethanol than gasoline to produce the same amount of energy, and critics contend that ethanol use is extremely wasteful because the production of ethanol actually creates a net energy loss while also increasing food prices. 
Biofuels have also become a point of contention for conservation groups, who argue that bio-crops would go to better use as a source of food rather than fuel. Specific concerns center around the use of large amounts of arable land that are required to produce bio-crops, leading to problems such as soil erosion, deforestation, fertilizer run-off, and salinity.
The Algae Alternative
To help mitigate the problem of large arable land use, companies such as ExxonMobil are turning to water-based solutions in the form of algae production. Exxon claims that algae can be cultivated on land unsuitable for other purposes with water that can’t be used for food production.
In addition to using non-arable land and not requiring the use of freshwater, algae could potentially yield greater volumes of biofuels per acre than other sources. The other advantage to using algae over other bio-sources is that it can be used to manufacture biofuels similar in composition to today’s transportation fuels. This would go a long way to replacing the conventional fossil fuels of gasoline and diesel.
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