Posted on 02/21/2006 8:38:26 AM PST by kellynla
The endless fields of corn in the Midwest can be distilled into endless gallons of ethanol, a clean-burning, high-octane fuel that could end any worldwide oil shortage and reduce emissions that cause global warming.
There is only one catch: Turning corn into ethanol takes energy. For every gallon that an ethanol manufacturing plant produces, it uses the equivalent of almost two-fifths of a gallon of fuel (usually natural gas), and that does not count the fuel needed to make fertilizer for the corn, run the farm machinery, or truck the ethanol to market.
The use of all that fossil fuel to make ethanol substantially reduces its value as an alternative source of energy. Ethanol production is expected to hit 5 billion gallons this year, equal to more than three percent of gasoline supplies, and more ethanol distilleries are being built. But if ethanol is to realize its potential, its proponents recognize that they will have to develop new ways to make it. "In this industry, you can't take a parochial view of your business," said William A Lee, general manager of Chippewa Valley Ethanol, in Benson, Minn., United States and former chairman of the Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol trade group.
(Excerpt) Read more at deccanherald.com ...
Why don't we require ethanol plants to become self-sustaining and use only additional ethanol in production? Economy of scale. Self-sustaining. Efficiencies will become part of the equation.
Our moonshiners in in appalachia didn't have an issue :)
Infact, isn't that where NASCAR got started - by the Runners?
Gasoline and diesel fuel spontaneously falls from the sky ready for use?
Until it is cheeper than oil to produce....
I've tasted some distilled corn that was too dam delicious to put into a car engine
The oil companies propaganda campaign is in full swing. Look for them to make a complete 180 when they are ready to start producing ethanol themselves.
And when will this happen since oil will become cheaper with reduced demand making it always cheaper than any alternatives on the horizon?.
"How efficiently can hydrogen be produced?"
google is your friend
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=How+efficiently+can+hydrogen+be+produced%3F&btnG=Google+Search
The only issue with running alcohol in your tank is alcohol eats up seals. So, if you plan on changing out your standard rubber seals for silicon, go for it....
Seems like a simple fix; I'm sure that some other sort of synthetic seal will be created for this purpose, as well.
That's a pretty big catch. I wonder if someone just now told Mr. Wald about that or if he finally listened to someone who was not claiming that the sky is falling (or warming).
"That's a pretty big catch"
not at all...
the newer mills are being built next to cow pastures
what you don't use to make ethanol; you feed the cows and then use the cow manure for energy to operate the mills...
talk about being self sufficient!LOL
Boiling oil to make gasoline requires energy also.
Ha anybody addressed the fact that Alcohol burns clean and invisible? you could get in a wreck and not know that your car is burning up and getting ready to explode. I know that they had this problem in racing.
What total bullshit. The author of the little bit of bullcrap should know that the fields in the midwest aren't "endless" nor is their capacity to produce ethanol.
Excellent question. The answer is they can't because they require more energy than they produce.
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