The Daily Eagle

The Compounding Benefits of The 2 km Golden Idea

By:Bosco Noronha, Grade 11

Natural gas and petroleum- we’re all enslaved to use these fuels. From cooking the food we eat every day, to driving to work to earn the money for that food. With oil prices at an all-time high since the market crash in October 2008, we’re all ensnared in the monopolistic game played by the one percent of the oil oligarchy who control the world economy.

The above graph depicts when oil which, was priced at 73.3 c/L in 2003, spiked to 147.6 c/L in 2008 and subsequently went down to 81.5 c/L a few months later. Now, the cartel has ever since organized its rise.

The Oil company cartel: There are a handful of oil companies that control oil prices by lying about production numbers and creating wars/accidents/upheavals throughout their various foundations.

Prices increased and what caused it to increase? There are plenty reasons for the increase in oil prices, some of the major ones are due to “reports” of many terrorist attacks on oil and gas installations in major oil producing countries like Nigeria, Libya, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. For example, the seizure of a Saudi Arabian oil tanker by pirates in the Gulf of Aden worried many investors. As of that date no major country is serious in arresting this man-made problem, which is self-evident, since huge ransom amounts are paid to these pirates.

Solutions: Biofuel, Hydrogen fuel or sacrifice using gas to make prices drop (using consumer power).

Biofuel:

Biodiesel is the most common biofuel in Europe. It is produced from oils or fats. Biodiesel is the most common biofuel in Europe. It is produced from oils or fats using trans esterification and is a liquid similar in composition to fossil/mineral diesel. Chemically, it consists mostly of fatty acid methyl (or ethyl) esters (FAMEs).

Ethanol(C₂H₆O) is also a promising fuel, which can be directly introduced to the I.C.E of today. It is produced by the fermentation of sugars acquired from wheat, corn, cane sugar- basically any sugar or starch from which alcoholic beverages can be made. The ethanol production methods used are enzyme digestion (to release sugars from stored starches), fermentation of the sugars then distillation, and finally drying.

Biofuel is a trustworthy idea, but remember, where there’s demand, there’s the need for greed. Remember that biofuel is produced using organic material, such materials including corn wheat and other food related products. If we start building an industry based on the consumption of food for a replacement in fossil fuels, this may lead to an increase in food and produce prices, which we definitely don’t need in this economic crisis.

Combustion of Ethanol:  C₂H₅OH + 3 O₂ → 2 CO₂ + 3 H₂O   (ΔH = −1371 kJ/mol)

Combustion of Petroleum: 2 C₈H₁₈ + 25 O₂ → 16 CO₂ + 18H₂O   (ΔH = −10.86 MJ/mol)

Combustion of Hydrogen: 2H₂+ O₂→ 2 H₂O  (ΔH = −286 kJ/mol)

Notice the molar production of CO₂ is the highest for petroleum and doesn’t exist for hydrogen.

Hydrogen: This fuel is the cleanest element that can burn without any other products except water. Many young researchers and innovators under this breed of new technology have been shut down by major oil companies. Anyone can produce Hydrogen using electrolysis; all you need is a source of D.C current and a clean batch of salt water, which is vastly available on our planet (about 70 %). Cars were also built by many automotive companies to run on hydrogen, so much so that we had a program called the BC Hydrogen Highway. It was supposed to link Vancouver and Whistler and seven fueling stations were planned. In 2007, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced funding of almost $200 million Canadian for environmental projects in B.C. including the hydrogen highway.

It is necessary for us the consumers, to show our power by tightening our belts and changing to healthier lifestyles.

For example: Consumers can target a specific oil company to make their purchases for three months in a row. This will make the other oil companies take notice and bring down their prices and enable competitive market forces to takeover. Let’s remind ourselves that the consumer is king!

So the next time we sit behind a wheel or jump into a fuel guzzling vehicle can we just pause and tell our minds to think of the 2 Km golden idea: walk or cycle to the destination. Most of us can easily walk 2 km for a start, since most stores, markets, schools and bus stops are within that range.

These 2 km saved by each of us is equal to a healthy lifestyle, a healthy body, less sickness and a fresher world around us. The compounding benefits of the 2 km golden idea.

Sources: www.forbes.com, oil-price.net, www.eia.gov, www.greenfieldethanol.com, www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/whatever-happened-to-the-hydrogen-highway/Content?oid=2283903, common sense.