Episode 21 — Biofuels
Courtesy of both the high cost of fuel, as well as the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use, fuels derived from biological sources are receiving a lot of attention these days. But how efficient are they, and what are the hidden costs (both financial and ecological) of their production and use? Are biofuels the salvation of modern civilization, or the “green devil,” or something a bit more complicated than either?
Tune in to hear a description of the various biofuels that have been put forward to date, along with some discussion of how they’re produced and what the impact of their production and use is. If you’re not subscribed to the podcast, you can listen to the episode (26:04) via an inline player (Flash required) here:
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You can also directly download the episode using this link (23.9 MBytes). For links to sources, as well as for those who’d just like to follow along, the episode’s show notes are here. Image by Steve Jurvetson via Wikimedia, used under Creative Commons license.

