Sustainable development alternative fuels

Keywords cement industry, energy efficiency, sustainable development, alternative fuels and raw materials... 

Of all the fossil fuels, petroleum is considered the least sustainable fuel option (most finite and fastest rate of depletion), which is the main reason for the development of alternative fuels. Resources of natu-... 

Keywords alternative energy, renewable energy, sustainable development, energy security, fuel cells... 

This session reflected on the evolution of biotechnology, industry, and this annual symposium for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals and speculated on future developments that can enhance their impacts. To structure a cohesive session covering areas appropriate for the silver anniversary meeting, presentations were invited in selected areas that offered complementary perspectives for the audience. Dr. Charles Scott, the founder of the annual symposium and its chair from 1978 through 1988, chaired this session, and the cochair was Dr. Charles Wyman, who was responsible for initiating alternate years in Colorado as symposium chair and cochair from 1988 to 1996. 

The demand for hydrogen, driven by classical applications such as fertilisers or oil refining as well as new applications (synthetic fuels, fuel cells,...) is growing significantly. Presently, most of the hydrogen produced in the world uses methane or another /ossil feedstock, which is not a sustainable option, given the limited fossil resources and need to reduce C02 emissions. This stimulates the need to develop alternative processes of production which do not suffer from these drawbacks. 

The concept of sustainable development is already old, as developed by the Bmndtland Commission of the United Nations in 1987, in order that economic development is not accompanied by a deterioration in the quality of life. The recommendations of the committee focused on the necessity to limit global warming by controlling emissions of carbon dioxide, to seek alternatives to fossil fuels and to reduce the risks for human health from industrial activities and new products. 

If we now consider prototypical chemistry-related issues from the debate about sustainable development and green chemistry many of them meet these criteria. Chemistry-related issues of sustainable development, like a more intense production and use of alternative fuels or bioplastics, are discussed in mass media. Regulations on their use will potentially have an impact on the students consumer choices. The use of alternative fuels or bioplastics is still controversial pro and con arguments are given in societal debate and can be used in students open debate. And, finally, these issues are definitely questions of chemistry and technology corresponding arguments are used in public debate. 

This AFC opportunity is real and potentially could totally alter the global fuel cycle and the reactor deployment opportunities, and India (Kukodkar and Simha 2006) has already chosen to develop it as a national priority. Such AC concepts are in fact not new what is new is the concept that an alternate sustainable and closable fuel cycle may enable greater benefits from nuclear energy deployment worldwide. 

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