GEF
Unit 9 | New Technology and Innovative Sustainability Approaches 197 Cars powered by electricity have limitations, but are a growing trend. An alternative to vehicle fossil fuels are biofuels . Crops such as corn or sugarcane are processed to produce ethanol, used as a pure vehicle fuel or combined with gasoline. Another option is using vegetable feedstock to produce biodiesel, which is chemi- cally similar to fossil fuel diesel and can be used in all diesel engines. Currently, corn-derived ethanol mixed with gasoline is widely used in the U.S. In Brazil, extensive sugarcane produc- tion is devoted to ethanol, and most Brazilian vehicles can run on either gasoline or ethanol. Many studies have raised concerns about conventional bio- fuel production, partially blaming recent food price spikes on competition from biofuel crops. Scientists have also questioned the sustainability of biofuels, recognizing that substantial fossil fuel inputs are required in order to grow and process biofuels. Depending on production and processing methods, and the entire lifecycle of the fuel, some biofuels may even emit more greenhouse gasses than fossil fuels per unit of energy obtained. BIOFUELS Fuels that are made from agricultural crops or veg- etable waste.
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