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Alternative Fuels for Sustainable Development

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Environmental Concerns and Sustainable Development

Abstract

As the demand for energy increases, reserves of fossil fuels are steadily declining. The growing consumption of energy is responsible for the world’s dependence on non-renewable energy sources, such as petroleum, gas, and coal. The burning of fossil fuels increases greenhouse gases, resulting in increasing global temperatures. To overcome these problems, there is an urgent need for alternative and advanced fuels. Bioethanol, biodiesel, and biogas are the best fuels generated from biomass, and there are also emerging fuels that could minimize the overloading of non-renewable fuels and decrease pollution levels. Bioethanol is a plentiful new source of fuel for the future and has the capacity to conserve petroleum resources. Biodiesel is also clean and is generated from renewable sources. It can be used in diesel engines either directly or as an additive in diesel fuel. It has the capacity to replace petro-diesel fuel and to reduce pollution levels. Apart from biodiesel, hydrogen is also a clean source of energy and has huge potential to minimize the load of imported energy sources. Alternative fuel production and use play major roles in economic growth, biomass waste management, producing a cleaner environment, decreasing gaseous pollutants, and ultimately developing sustainability. This chapter discusses the energy problem, the current status of conventional fuel sources, and the role of alternative fuels in sustainable development.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India

    Chandra Bhan, Lata Verma & Jiwan Singh

Authors
  1. Chandra Bhan
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  2. Lata Verma
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  3. Jiwan Singh
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Vertika Shukla

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Narendra Kumar

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Bhan, C., Verma, L., Singh, J. (2020). Alternative Fuels for Sustainable Development. In: Shukla, V., Kumar, N. (eds) Environmental Concerns and Sustainable Development. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-5889-0_16

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