Bio-Diesel Persusavie Speech

Persuasive Speech

Alternative Fuels for Diesel

11/30/06

8:00 AM

To persuade listeners to support alternative fuels

The strain on the diesel supply in America is too high and a stable source must be found to alleviate the strain. Bio-diesel is a suitable additive in diesel that would help reduce this strain. Bio-diesel is also much safer than conventional petrol-diesel.

Topic: Alternative Fuels for Diesel

Speaker's Goal: To persuade listeners to support alternative fuels

General Purpose: To persuade

Specific Purpose: To persuade listeners to support alternative fuels to diesel such as bio-diesel.

Thesis Statement: The strain on the diesel supply in America is too high and a stable source must be found to alleviate the strain. Bio-diesel is a suitable additive in diesel that would help reduce this strain. Bio-diesel is also much safer than conventional petrol-diesel.

Attention-Getter: According to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, each year 315 billion gallons of crude oil are used in the United States alone, of which 52.5 billion gallons are produced into diesel. The amount of diesel used in the United States is going up each year and is not predicted to stop anytime soon. We need to find a stable supply to help decrease the dependency on diesel. Bio-diesel is a suitable material for this task.

Ethos Builder: I have done extensive research on bio-diesel. In high school I experimented with the production and testing of bio-diesel and was rewarded with first place in chemistry at Franklin County Science Fair and was invited to attend an American Chemical Society Banquet. I have also done research on the internet and textbooks.

Format/ Structure: Problem Solution

Question Type: Fact

Proofs: Bio-diesel reduces emissions of carbon monoxide by 50% and carbon dioxide by 78% when used alone. Bio-diesel is biodegradable and non-toxic. Bio-diesel is the only alternative fuel to have successfully completed the Health Effects Testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. Producing bio-diesel in the United States provides jobs for Americans instead of outsourcing all the work to the Middle-East.

Practice Time: 5 Minutes 30 Seconds

I. Introduction

A. According to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, each year 315 billion gallons of crude oil are used in the United States alone, of which 52.5 billion gallons are produced into diesel. The amount of diesel used in the United States is going up each year and is not predicted to stop anytime soon. We need to find a stable supply to help decrease the dependency on diesel. Bio-diesel is a suitable material for this task.

B. I have done extensive research on bio-diesel. In high school I experimented with the production and testing of bio-diesel and was rewarded with first place prize in chemistry at Franklin County Science Fair and was invited to attend an American Chemical Society Banquet. I have also done research on bio-diesel using the internet and textbooks. A friend and I are also working on converting a farm that he works on to run partially on bio-diesel.

C. The strain on the diesel supply in America is too high and a stable source must be found to alleviate the strain. Bio-diesel works as a suitable additive in diesel that would help reduce this strain. Bio-diesel is also much safer than conventional petrol-diesel.

Transition Statement: First we will start with the pros and cons of petrol-diesel fuel.

II. Body

A. Diesel is a very important part of this country.

1. Diesel is one of the most commonly used fuels to transport goods in this country.

a. It is used most commonly in semi-trucks.

b. Also is used frequently in trains.

2. The U.S. Department of energy says that the United States is the number one consumer of diesel fuel in the world.

a. The demand on the diesel supply in this country must be decreased.

b. Out of the 52.5 billion gallons of diesel that the U.S. produces, the Energy Information Agency says that Americans used roughly 43 billion gallons of diesel fuel yearly.

3. The cost of securing oil for the United States is extreme.

a. In 1996 it cost the U.S. 57 billion dollars to obtain enough oil to keep the country running, according to www.biodiesel.org.

(1.) The taxes to obtain that oil added another 4 billion dollars.

(2.) The estimated environmental costs were $45 for each barrel.

b. A very shocking figure, according to www.biodiesel.org, is that for each billion dollars spent on foreign oil, ten-thousand to twenty-five-thousand working Americans lost their job to outsourcing.

4. Diesel is a much better fuel option compared to regular gasoline.

a. Diesel burns hotter, therefore producing more energy, wikipedia.org.

b. Cars that run on diesel get 40% better gas mileage, wikipedia.org.

c. Diesel running engines produce roughly 69% less greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, wikipedia.org.

5. Even though diesel may sound like a very good fuel option, there are also disadvantages to using diesel.

a. Diesel contains a high amount of sulfur, which is bad for the environment, wikipedia.org.

b. Diesel is also very harmful to your body. On the Material Safety Data Sheet diesel has some very shocking information listed for it.

(1.) Skin: Severe skin irritant. Contact may cause redness, itching, burning, and severe skin damage

(2.) Cancer: Possible skin cancer hazard.

(3.) Target Organs: There is limited evidence from animal studies that overexposure may cause injury to the kidneys.

Transition