| | | What are Renewable Resources?

From WikiVerde

Natural resources that can be considered renewable include such things as timber, fresh water, oxygen and biological materials used for fuel, clothing or heat. Examples of biomass are wool, biodiesel, and plastics made from seaweed. Each of these items are considered renewable resources, but can become non-renewable resources if they are over used.

Renewable Fuels

There is more and more research being done in the area of renewable fuels, particularly with the high cost of fossil fuels and the increasing concerns about running out of the resource. Fuels can be made from alcohol, from methane and from diesel made from biomass. Biodiesel is an example of a renewable fuel. Typically fuels that are renewable resources have a sustainable yield. This means that enough of the vegetable crop from which the fuel is derived can be produced to supply the needs for the fuel without running out of the base product completely.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a diesel energy source with either methyl or ethyl esters (short chain) that is generally produced by using vegetable oils or animal fats. The chemical process used to produce biodiesel originated with a patent granted in 1937 in Belgium. The plant material that is often used is soybeans, which is a very sustainable vegetable crop. To date, biodiesel is more expensive to produce than petroleum fuels, but this is expected to change as more consumers demand the renewable resource. Biodiesel is widely available in Europe and increasingly so in Canada and the United States. Biodiesel can be used pure, or blended with petroleum based products. Some drawbacks with the use of biodiesel include its effect on natural rubber and the fact that it breaks down petrofuel deposits in fuel lines when first used. This can cause the fuel filters to become clogged and need more frequent replacement for a time once the switch to biodiesel has been accomplished.

The Three R's

The hierarchy of waste management depends on the three R's--Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. These three concepts address different aspects of limiting the waste of non renewable resources. Reduce the volume of usage; reuse products rather than throwing them away and recycle used items to create new products rather than using new resources. The concept of reuse is not new, the pioneers in the United States and other societies did not consider throwing items away unless they were totally unusable for any other purpose. Any research into historical lifestyles and manufacturing is full of examples of such a philosophy of life.

Reduce

Reducing consumption is something that many people particularly in the so-called civilized nations do not want to be tasked with. The consumption of petroleum fuel is an example. Until the fuel shortage of the 1970s hit, many people totally ignored the level of fuel consumption in their vehicles. Millions of commuters were driving significant distances in a car with no passengers back and forth to work. When fuel prices jumped from sixty cents per gallon to more than one dollar per gallon, many people where scandalized that the fuel companies would do such a thing. However, with the passage of time, the gasoline was flowing freely again, consumers purchased gas guzzling SUVs and quad cab pickup trucks and began to drive again. Now, fuel costs in the United States are topping three dollars per gallon in most places and there is a serious move to limit the amount of fuel that is burned.

Reuse

Reusing products is the sign of a thrifty person. Sometimes they are even called miserly, but more and more people are finding that reusing a product isn't just a matter of saving a few pennies--it's an indication of living green. For example, using cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers saves tons of refuse from the landfills each year. Many people find that grabbing a paper towel or two to clean up a spill is easy, but it also adds to the stress that is being placed on landfills. Instead, you can use a sponge or a cloth that is reusable. Cloth napkins can be used and reused, avoiding landfill stress and preventing the wasting of timber. Although trees are a renewable resource, they cannot be grown as quickly as the more sustainable cotton fibers.

Recycling

Increasingly renewable resources are being used for containers and products that previously were thrown on the trash heap. These products are either biodegradable or they are produced from recycled materials. Each time a recycled container is used; there is one fewer item in the landfills of this country. In addition, using recycled containers means that one less unit of the non-renewable natural resources has been used up. Recycling the product often means using one discarded product to make a completely new product. For example, some mattresses are made from recycled materials such as recycled beverage bottles. They hold their shape better than cotton padding and have the benefit of removing thousands of used Coke bottles from the landfills.

Trash recycling

Out of this mess comes some good news after all., Recycling is working in mysterious ways! The largest export product from the US right now is trash. Bound for China whence it came from, it goes back as aluminum bails, carboard and paper waste and plastics that makes more plastics. It saves the forest in Burma and Brazil from being depleted by the insatiable hunger for goods in East and provides a good living for a group of entrepreneurs that not to long ago were hanging by a tread. It saves oil that would have been needed for production of those ubiquitous water bottles we so happily buy and trow away and we get to pay our national debt to China with devalued dollars.

Non-Renewable Resources

Renewable resources can become non-renewable resources if they are used at a rate faster than they can be replenished through normal processes. For example, fresh water is a renewable resource. But, if the water is used up faster than it can be replenished, the aquifer will become compacted and permanent damage will be done.

Non-Renewable Fuels

Fossil based products such as gasoline, diesel, coal and natural gas are considered non-renewable. The climatic conditions that caused the creation of these products happened in ways that are not reproducible on a vast scale today. The deposits of coal, for example required plant matter under high heat and pressure.