Grade 5 & 6 Essay Entries
FARM FUELED
By a 6th grade student at Angola Middle School
Angola, Indiana
The United States is one of the most productive agricultures in the world. They produce more and more as the new technology and transportation develop. The first bio-fuel started as wood. Both bio-fuels and wood are renewable and the carbon dioxide gives off the oxygen. Fossil fuels take one million years to reproduce, that’s why fossil fuels are non-renewable sources. Our gas prices are rising because how much oil is needed. So something more like putt-putt boats need to be made, so therefore we don’t need as much oil because the soybean plants do it all. The temperature and the CO² concentration in the atmosphere over the past 400,000 years (From the Vostok ice core). We need to look more onto the bio-technology in Arizona’s deserts and get better drought systems for their plants. Every bushel contains 2.7 gallons of ethanol. We don’t have enough of ethanol either because all the cars contain about 10% ethanol or 90% fuels, just to run it. One bushel is 60 pounds of corn, and one unit of measure. Even though we might not have enough bio-fuels our progress is raising more and more each year.
Biofuel
By a 6th grade student at Angola Middle School
Angola, Indiana
I didn’t know much about bio-fuels before the Crop Ambassador came to talk to us about them at school.
Some of the things I knew were that we might start using more ethanol in our gas that is from corn. Indiana has a lot of corn.
When the Crop Ambassador was talking I learned that people can make ethanol from plants other than corn, like Switch grass and Sugarcane. I also learned that the leftover French Fry oil is used in oil that we use for gas. One of the coolest things I learned was that scientists could change the DNA of plants, like corn so they can grow in warmer areas, like Arizona and not need as much water.
I think that the use of bio-fuels is really interesting and I would like to know more about it.
Bio-Fuels
By a 4th grade student at Tipton Elementary School
Tipton, Missouri
Do you know where bio-fuels come from and how they benefit us? Bio-fuels are a new energy system for motorized equipment made from the farmer’s economy. By using these products we have an everlasting source of materials. Some of those include fuel ethanol which is produced from the easily fermented sugars and starches in grain and food protesting wastes. Also bio-diesel is made from oilseed crops such as soybean and canola. By using these new technologies we plant fiber to ethanol. It will eliminate carbon dioxide and other toxics produced during use of machinery making the world a more stable environment. Also this could allow us to be the biggest energy exporter in the world. Which could reduce our fuel expenses?
Bio-diesels are left over products from farm crops and forestry products. These products reduce stalks, leaves, and branches which are burned or left in a field. Therefore, there will be harvests for bio-fuel production. Corn Stover represents a huge resource – over a 100 million tons nationwide. Native grasses and trees, Poplar trees, willow trees, Sycamore trees, and sweet gum trees wouldn’t be good for lumber cause they are softwood. People like them because they grow quick, and mainly for being pretty, and they cast a shadow. Switch grass grows in spring. It grows 1.8-2.2 meters in height. The leaves are 30-90 cm.
Farmer’s income is when corn prices go up because there is less of it. The farmers buy more corn. They have to sell cattle but they usually end up losing money. But when there is more corn the price comes down and the farmer can afford it. The gas that we use for our cars has 10 percent ethanol. This is my essay on biofuels.
Farm Fueled
By a 6th grad student at Angola Middle School
Angola, Indiana
I live in Ashley, Indiana. A very small town. So when there was news of an ethanol plant being built and I didn’t know anything about ethanol or bio-fuels I was glad when a crop ambassador was coming to talk about those types of things.
The United States uses about 90 percent of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are fuels that are non-renewable. They are made from fossils being pushed together for millions of years and making fuels. Fossil fuels are not as good for the environment. They can cause pollution and when you make fossil fuels you cannot use all the materials you use to make it with.
Bio-fuels on the other hand are renewable. They can be made out of a number of things: soybeans, corn, wood, switch grass, and other materials like that. Wood was the first bio-fuel. It was used as early as by the caveman. To make ethanol around here we usually use corn or soybeans because that is a common crop. Ethanol is a bio-fuel and bio-fuels are better for the environment because it doesn’t pollute the air, you can use the things left over like the parts of the corn you do not use can be used to feed pigs. Also ethanol is easier to make. In the future it would be good for the ethanol percent to be a lot higher. The reason we cannot just change to ethanol altogether is because some cars do not run on it but others do and some can even run on both.
Bio-fuels and ethanol are good for the environment and better use. I think an ethanol plant would not be a bad addition to Ashley.
Farm Fueled
By a 6th grade student at South Calloway Middle School
Mokane, Missouri
Lately the United States has come up with the idea of Biofuels. Biofuels are another kind of gasoline and are made from plants. One advantage of the biofuel is, the production system of the fuel is opening up more jobs and the economy of the U.S. is increasing, another advantage is that we, the people of the United States, are making things more naturally. The main crops used in the United States to make biofuels are corn and soybeans, in Europe; however, they mainly use flaxseed and rapeseed. Wastes from industry, agriculture, and households can also be used to produce bioenergy; examples include straw, lumber, manure, sewage, garbage, and food leftovers. Most biofuels are burned to release its stored chemical energy. Also biofuels have benefited the environment because unlike regular gas, biofuels are renewable and because biofuels are grown domestically, they reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help strengthen U.S. energy security. Ethanol is the most commonly used biofuel today. More than 1.5 billion gallons of bioethanol are added to gasoline each year to improve vehicle performance. I am very pleased that the U.S. has come up with the idea of bioethanol and biofuels. I hope that the idea will improve the pollution and destruction of the U.S. I can’t wait until the day where we only have biofuels to put in our car.
Biofuels
By a 6th grade student at South Calloway Middle School
Mokane, Missouri
A biofuel is a fuel that is come to from biomass. A biomass is a recently living organism or their byproducts such as cow manure. It’s a reusable energy source not like other natural resources like coal, petroleum, and nuclear fuels. A definition of biofuels is “any fuel with an 80% minimum content by volume of materials derived from living organisms harvested within the ten years preceding its manufacture.” Like petroleum and coal a biomass is a form of stored solar energy. The energy of the sun is trapped through the process photosynthesis in plants that are still growing. I believe that an advantage of biofuels over other fuels is that the biofuel is biodegradable and is harmless and can’t hurt the environment if spilled. Agriculture products purposefully grown only for the use of biofuels which includes soybeans and corn mostly in the U.S.” rapeseed and flaxseed mostly in Europe; sugar cane mostly in Brazil; and palm oil mostly in South-East Asia. The making of biofuels to take the place of natural gas and oil is in active development concentrating on the use of cheap organic materials. Something that is also sometimes considered a biofuel is dried compressed peat. That does not meet the criteria of a reusable form of energy. More common than petroleum or coal on the scale of time of human industrialization. Peat is also a fossil fuel and burning it will not help the atmospheric CO². That is my essay on biofuels.
All About Biofuels
By a 4th grade student at Tipton Elementary School
Tipton, Missouri
Do you know what bio-fuels are? Well today is your lucky day because I’m going to tell you what they are. Bio-fuel is recently living organisms or their metabolic by-products such as manure from cows. It is a renewable energy source unlike other natural resources such as petroleum coal and nuclear fuels. Do you know what bio-fuels come from? Bio-fuels come from biomass. These can be used in bio-fuel: straw, timber, manure, rice, sewage biodegradable waste and canola. Direct bio-fuels are bio-fuels that can be used in existing unmodified petroleum engines. Because engine technology changes all the time, direct bio-fuels can be hard to define. A fuel that works well in one unmodified engine may not work in another. Here are some renewable energies: bio-fuels, biomass, hydro power, geothermal power, wave power, and wind power. That is what I know about bio-fuels. I had a great time learning what they are.
Farm Fueled
By a 6th grade student at Angola Middle School
Angola, IN
Bio-fuel is important because it affects every person that lives in the United States. It has a direct impact on the future of our country. Biodiesel could be the answer to the United States to become energy sufficient.
Americans have seen the oil barrel prices rise twenty dollars in two years. If we become more energy sufficient we will save much more money on energy prices. Energy security is not safe since the war started overseas. Americans find themselves vulnerable to volatile energy markets. Bio-fuels could help us be more efficient and not so dependable on other nations for our fuel.
We have agriculture products grown here in the United States specifically grown for use as bio-fuels. These include corn and soybeans. Brazil is 40% energy sufficient mainly because of sugar cane. Imagine how much money Americans would save if we were 40% efficient.
In closing, the United States needs to keep researching bio-fuels. We need to use our technology to keep researching new ideas of bio-fuel.
Biofuels
By a 4th grade student at Tipton Elementary School
Tipton, Missouri
Do you know what Biofuels are? Well today’s your lucky day because I’m going to tell you. Biofuels are liquid transportation fuels made from plants and other forms of biomass. There are two main types of biofuels ethanol and biodiesel. I will explain what these are. Ethanol is an alcohol, the same as in beer or wine, but when they make it as a fuel it is made from starches and sugars. Ethanol is only 2% of gasoline supply, but not enough. Biodiesel is made by combining alcohol with vegetable oil, animal fat, or recycled cooking grease. There is a lot of ways to make Biofuels. Her are some ways. There is biodiesel such as soybeans and canola. Another way to make Biofuels is to use left over products from farm crops and forestry products. Such as stalks, leaves, and branches. There is still one more way and its native grasses and trees such as switch grass, popular trees, willow trees, sycamore trees, and sweet gum trees. Now I know you’re probably wondering what this entire thing means. So I’m going to tell you. It means that this stuff could save your lives. How? You’re asking, well it stops pollution and it doesn’t cost as much. For example it does the following things for us. We get a farm income, it improves our environment, growing market, “carbon credits” given to farmers, electricity utilities trading biodiesel fuels, reduces soil erosion, and farmers earn more money. This is how many gallons each thing make, a bushel of soybeans is 11 pounds, which equals 1.5 gallons of biodiesel. A bushel of corn is 56 pounds, which is 2.5 gallons of ethanol. One ton of Corn Stover is 80-90 gallons of ethanol. One ton of switch grass is 75-100 gallons. As you can see we can make this world a better place by having biofuels instead of gasoline.
Biofuels
By a 4th grade student at Tipton Elementary School
Tipton, Missouri
What are Biofuels?
Biofuels are liquid transportation fuels made from plants and other forms of Biomass. There are two main types of Biofuels: Ethanol is gasoline type fuels made by fermenting sugars into alcohol. Biodiesel is a diesel type fuel made by separating glycerin from animal and vegetable oil to create methylesters.
What material can be used to make biofuels?
Ethanol is made from sugar cane, corn, and sweet sorghum. Biodiesel is usually made from soybean and rapeseed oil. Although coconut, palm, canola and jatropha nut oil are also used other places.
Where are biofuels made?
Brazil uses sugar cane to make ethanol. Southern Africa has potential to become an ethanol producer. United States rely on corn to produce one-quarter of the ethanol production. China is the third largest producer.
Are they good for the environment?
Biofuels are cleaner burning which allows carbon dioxide to be released. This allows for the plants to grow. Biofuels are biodegradable and nontoxic.
Are special cars required to use biofuels?
Farm machinery, trucks, and cars can run on low-volume biofuel blends without any changes. They are making vehicles that can operate on any combination of ethanol and gasoline. These vehicles are sold in the United States, Brazil, and China.
What are the benefits of biofuels?
Biofuels help out the farming community. The energy crops should help reduce yearly operating costs. The use of biodiesel can diminish the need for expensive petroleum fuel. Biofuels are becoming an alternative for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.
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