• Question: Are you investigating any other substances that could be used as fuel in cars? If so, what are they and how do they work? Thank you :)

    Asked by to Jemma on 16 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Jemma Rowlandson

      Jemma Rowlandson answered on 16 Jun 2014:

      Hi Hollie!

      I am not researching any other substances myself, but I know a lot of people who are. One of the most popular possible fuels is biodiesel. Normal diesel is made from fossil fuels and releases carbon dioxide (which adds to global warming) and some nasty chemicals into the atmosphere.

      Biodiesel can be made from plants like rapeseed (which is what grows in the bright yellow fields you see around the countryside). Burning biodiesel also releases carbon dioxide but the plants it’s made from take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere when they grow, so this is not a problem.

      Biodiesel works the same way as normal petrol and diesel. This is great because people will not have to buy a new car; you can put it straight into your normal petrol tank. One problem with biodiesel is the plants take up a lot of space, which we could use to grow food on instead. When a lot of people are hungry is it really fair that we grow fuel instead of food? That’s why scientists are researching biodiesel made from waste food and algae (the green stuff that grows on top of ponds) instead!

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