Kelp As Biofuel

In 2020, the total diesel fuel consumption of the US transportation sector exceeded 44.6 billion gallons. That equates to about 122 million gallons of diesel every day. Of course, diesel is extremely important. It fuels the trucks, planes, and boats that carry us and our possessions. It powers the machines that farm our food and build our bridges (EIA, 2021). However, the use of diesel comes at a steep environmental cost. Every gallon of diesel burned releases about 22 pounds of carbon dioxide, meaning almost 2 billion pounds of carbon dioxide are released every year from diesel alone, but that’s not even half of the problem (EIA, 2014). Gasoline consumption in the US is almost triple that of diesel, totaling about 123.7 billion gallons per year (EIA, 2021), releasing over 1,090 million metric tons of CO2 (EIA, 2014). This poses serious problems for everyone. CO2, through a process called the greenhouse effect, causes global warming. The effects of global warming include rising sea levels, melting polar ice caps, increased occurrences of extreme weather events, and so much more. (Osmanski, 2020). In short, the use of fossil fuels is a serious problem that urgently needs to be addressed. <a href="https://medium.com/@creativemindorg/kelp-as-biofuel-ce6510a67001">Learn More</a>