Palm oil biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum fuel made from palm tree fruits and seeds. While it emits less carbon than fossil fuels, its widespread use has negative impacts such as deforestation and high demand for food sources. Refineries create jobs but can cause environmental pollution.
Palm oil biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum fuel. It is made from the oil that is extracted from the fruits and seeds of the palm tree. Cars, trucks, boats and other machinery equipped with an internal combustion engine can run on palm oil biodiesel. It can be pure in form or can be blended with varying amounts of petroleum as well. While the use of palm oil biodiesel may emit less carbon than other fossil fuels, its widespread use also has many negative impacts.
About ten percent of the palm is used for palm oil extraction. The rest is considered waste in some areas, while other places use the waste as briquettes for cooking. Although palm trees are found in many geographical locations, Malaysia exports the majority of palm oil globally, much of which is used as palm oil biodiesel.
There are several benefits to using palm oil biodiesel. For example, biodiesel refineries or mills are being built in many countries around the world, such as the United States, the Caribbean, Central America and Asia. Refineries create jobs and boost local economies. Also, using palm oil biodiesel will not emit polluting carbon when burned. This makes it cleaner than many other fossil fuels.
Many scientific experts believe that the harms of using palm oil biodiesel far outweigh the benefits. For example, palm oil can be used as a food source. This creates a debate as to whether the oil should be used as biodiesel or used to feed people around the world. Because it is in high demand for both sources, the cost has risen sharply in recent years.
Other arguments against using palm oil biodiesel include its environmental impact. Given the large demand for palm oil both as a biodiesel and as a food source, some companies have registered large areas of palm trees for oil. This large-scale deforestation is detrimental to the natural habitat and makes it difficult to sustain palm growth for a long time. Also, as demand has caused the price of palm oil to rise, it has become very expensive compared to other alternatives to biodiesel, such as vegetable oil.
Some environmentalists also argue that the fuels, energy and wastes used and created during the construction of palm oil refineries and mills cause large amounts of carbon pollution. In fact, some argue that the carbon emitted by construction is far greater than the carbon saved by using the biofuel itself. Furthermore, they say that excessive use of pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals on palm trees creates additional pollution for land and waterways.
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