Transportation resources depletion

The need to address the issue of global warming and fossil resource depletion has prompted research on the sustainable production of environmentally benign fuels and chemicals [ 1]. A biorefinery, which utilizes biomass as the starting material for the production of fuels and chemicals, can not only generate sustainable energy but also reduce CO2 emitted by fossil fuel combustion. For instance, bioethanol is one of the most promising alternatives to conventional petroleum-based transport fuels. The United States produced 52.6 billion liters of ethanol fuel in 2011, an increase from 49.2 billion liters in 2010 [2]. 

The use of nuclear power has been a topic of debate for many years. Nuclear fuel represents a resource for generating energy weU into the future, whereas economically recoverable fossil fuel reserves may become depleted. Worker exposure, injuries, and fataHties in nuclear fuel mining are reportedly far less compared to those associated with recovery and handling of fossil fuels. Potential hazards associated with transporting and storing radioactive wastes do exist, however. 

As the materials used in drilling processes are produced from depletable mineral resources, there is a continuous upward trend of cost with time. The field engineer must make a detailed cost comparison of materials available within the target cost of the project. The final choice may be a tradeoff between cost and performance. This is because the choice may narrow down to two or more materials with different initial costs and different expected service lives. Transportation costs of selected materials must also be included in the final cost. 

Hydrocarbons are required in our modern-day life not only as energy sources, including convenient transportation fuels for our cars, tracks, airplanes (see Section 1.8.2) but also to produce commonly used products ranging from polymers to textiles to pharmaceuticals. At the beginning of the twenty-first century we can look back with substantial satisfaction at our technological and scientific achievements. We should, however, also realize that we continue to deplete the nonrenewable resources of our planet, particularly fossil fuels and hydrocarbons and at the same time create ecological and environmental problems. As mentioned earlier, dire predictions of the early exhaustion of our natural hydrocarbon sources by the... 

Biomass is a significant renewable resource, which will contribute towards replacing fossil fuels as they become depleted and less environmentally acceptable. It is particularly important to find alternatives to crude oil, which still enjoys a virtual monopoly as a transportation fuel. 

In planta, the CKX activity is affected by molecular components of the local metabolic resource pool that can serve as electron acceptors directly or after oxidative modification [72]. Favorable redox environment in cell or in the apoplast may allow the enzyme to work at maximum rate. However, it is still questionable, how its high catalytic power is used and if really needed for the depletion of active cytokinins in vivo. The most active CKX enzymes, AtCKX2 and AtCKX4 in Arabidopsis, act on the cytokinins in apoplast, where the concentration of cytokinins reflects the balance of accumulation via local synthesis and transport. 

Reliance on petroleum-based transportation fiiels has raised national concern with respect to homeland security, energy independence, depletion of petroleum resources, and impact on... 

Food and feed inevitably rely on biomass. Materials and products are right now produced from fossil resources and biomass. If fossil resources are to be avoided or if they are depleted, biomass remains the only other basis for material production. For heat and power generation a variety of choices exist or are under development, such as solar power, wind energy, or geothermal energy. However, liquid fuels for transportation rely on fixed carbon, which again points to fossil resources or biomass. 

During the second and third Gulf Wars (1990-1991 and 2003), the main components of the terrestrial ecosystem especially soil were severely damaged by military operations. These operations have different impacts on the various parts of the terrestrial ecosystem depending on the timing, magnitude, and goals of military operations as well as the local physical conditions. The impacts of military operations are differentiated into onsite and offsite. The onsite impacts include terrain deformation and depletion of resources. The offsite impacts involve increase of the rates of sand transport and dust fallout. 

---