4.4.12.D.+-Analyze+research+and+development+activities+as+they+relate+to+agriculture.


 * RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

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Agriculture ties into many different things all over our planet one of the hottest issues that agriculture ties into is renewable energy. Agriculture and farming can produce plant biomass which can the be burned and used as fuel. Two thirds of the world cooks and heats water from the energy created by burning biomass, which is the total mass of living organisms present in a given area.

Agriculture can also produce corn and grains which can be used to make biofuels.

Biodiesel is the most common biofuel in Europe. It is produced from oils or fats, and is a liquid similar in composition to mineral diesel. Its chemical name is fatty acid ethyl ester. Oils are mixed with sodium hydroxide and ethanol and the chemical reaction produces biodiesel and glycerol. Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine when mixed with mineral diesel. In some countries manufacturers cover their diesel engines under warranty for 100% biodiesel use, although Volkswagen Germany, for example, asks drivers to make a telephone check with the VW environmental services department before switching to 100% biodiesel. Many people have run their vehicles on biodiesel without problems. However, the majority of vehicle manufacturers limit their recommendations to 15% biodiesel blended with mineral diesel. Many newer diesel engines are made so that they can run with 100% biodiesel fuel without altering the engine itself. Since biodiesels burn cleaner than regular mineral diesel, filters may need to be replaced more often. In many European countries, a 5% biodiesel blend is widely used and is available at thousands of gas stations (Biodiesel.de 2008)

Per a recent market study, the production and use of biodiesel fuel promises to bring $24 billion to the U.S. economy between 2005 and 2015, assuming biodiesel growth reaches 650 million gallons of annual production per year by 2015.1 This study also projected:
 * Biodiesel production will create 39,102 new jobs in all sectors of the economy.
 * Additional tax revenues from biodiesel production will more than pay for the federal tax incentives provided to the industry, keeping $13.6 billion in the U.S. that would otherwise be spent on foreign oil. (Biodiesel 2008)

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