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Ethanol war brewing
Business 2.0 mag/ CNN ^ | 27 june 06 | Chris Taylor

Posted on 06/28/2006 6:43:54 PM PDT by saganite

SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) -- Everywhere you look these days, tech and business world luminaries - like Richard Branson, Paul Allen, Steve Case, Vinod Khosla, John Doerr, and Bill Gates - are laying down big bets on ethanol, a substitute for gasoline that's already finding its way into pumps.

The price of the stuff has shot up 65 percent since May from $2.65 a gallon to $4.50, largely thanks to the oil companies who have started to put small quantities of it in our gas as a clean-air additive (most cars can handle a blend of up to 10 percent ethanol in their tanks).

That means the fuel for our cars is now about 60 cents a gallon more expensive than it would be if it were just gas, according to analysts at JPMorgan. As drivers, ethanol is lightening our wallets; as investors, though, it could well fatten them.

But before you jump on the ethanol bandwagon, consider this: There is an ethanol format war looming that will make the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD tussle look like a schoolyard spat. If you're making an investment for the long term, you have to ask yourself whether the future's dominant fuel is going to come from corn, sugar, rape seed, or switchgrass - or if it's going to be synthesized from scratch.

The winner is going to be whoever can make ethanol in mass quantities for as little money per gallon as possible - a tall order, no matter how you go about it.

(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: energy; ethanol; renewenergy
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To: digger48

Ethanol absorbs and mixes with water readily, thus condensation is an enemy, pipelines always have condensation issues.


21 posted on 06/28/2006 7:23:34 PM PDT by SirFishalot
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To: appeal2
BioDiesel from Algae.
22 posted on 06/28/2006 7:25:36 PM PDT by Paladin2 (If the political indictment's from Fitz, the jury always acquits.)
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To: Westlander

A 10% mix should provide approx 5% drop in your miles per gallon over straight regular unleaded.


23 posted on 06/28/2006 7:26:33 PM PDT by SirFishalot
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To: capt. norm

The near future is BioDiesel from Algae.


24 posted on 06/28/2006 7:27:17 PM PDT by Paladin2 (If the political indictment's from Fitz, the jury always acquits.)
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To: bugs_dallas
As long as there is competition, I am happy. Ethanol is competing to some degree with petrol. There will be an ideal mix in the future, I am sure. The only reason the middle east is the hotbed of political crisis is because we pay premium dollars for fuel.
25 posted on 06/28/2006 7:27:46 PM PDT by Prodn2000
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To: saganite

(((Shaking head)))

Once again, the clearly better option is a semi-secret.
I looked up Butanol, and am aghast that this is the first I have heard of it.

Still not ready to run my car on it strait, but would be interested in what it can, or can not, do for my 100+ octane requirements.

Being an alcohol, I am thinking it might work best in a supercharged engine.

Start making it from trash plants instead of FOOD, and I will be an enthusiastic backer.


26 posted on 06/28/2006 7:34:25 PM PDT by Richard-SIA ("The natural progress of things is for government to gain ground and for liberty to yield" JEFFERSON)
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To: SirFishalot

I check my MPG ..the correct way..and found no difference in my vehicles. Some ethanol is more than welcome in the winter when you have daytime highs of 32F for 3 months out of the year. And recently due to Fed mandates, we only have 'summer blend' ethanol-unleaded as well.


27 posted on 06/28/2006 7:40:59 PM PDT by Westlander (Unleash the Neutron Bomb)
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To: stboz
butyric acid.....which smells like rancid butter....only much, much worse

It smells like vomit.

28 posted on 06/28/2006 7:41:00 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
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To: Richard-SIA

Butanol has strange sickening smell to it. Mix it with sulfur and it smells just like a dead skunk. Butanol is used in the manufacture of noxious smells, such as for natural gas which otherwise has no odor.


29 posted on 06/28/2006 7:46:36 PM PDT by Reeses
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To: Right Wing Assault

Some years ago, a certain night cleaning woman was using the hand lotion of a female co-worker. We decided to play a trick on her. We put a bunch of butyric acid in it. We figured she would put this vomit lotion on her hands and never 'borrow' it again. But the lotion killed the smell. Even in huge amounts, no smell. So, if it ever becomes a problem, we just add a unit on the cars that squirts hand lotion into the exhaust!


30 posted on 06/28/2006 7:46:52 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
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To: saganite
Here is a link to a good video, or transcript if you prefer, of a good discussion of oil and alternative fuels, and how they play into the global geopolitical picture. Well worth the time to check out.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1657319/posts
31 posted on 06/28/2006 7:48:26 PM PDT by P-40 (Al Qaeda was working in Iraq. They were just undocumented.)
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To: saganite
While vacationing in Hawaii five years ago, I saw thousands of acres of sugar cane fields lying fallow since American sugar companies switched to beet sugar over the years.

Now, Hawaii has some of the most expensive gas in the nation, since it's all imported.

What an opportunity for an economical alternative fuel! The demand is there, you have available farm land nearby. The climate is perfect and I'm sure there are still people there who know how to grow sugar cane. All that's needed is the distillery and a place to blend it with imported gasoline.

This should be an ethanol success story - why isn't it?

32 posted on 06/28/2006 7:51:53 PM PDT by ZOOKER ( <== I'm with Stupid...)
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To: SamAdams76

"I'll be in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana all next week so I'll be seeing a lot of corn."

Bring some product from your brewery and I'll trade you for some Iowa sweetcorn when you come through!


33 posted on 06/28/2006 8:05:41 PM PDT by HereInTheHeartland (Never bring a knife to a gun fight, or a Democrat to do serious work...)
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To: ZOOKER

"This should be an ethanol success story - why isn't it?"

I take this as a reading comprehensive quiz:

1. Ethanol takes more energy to clean up than it puts out
2. Now, Hawaii has some of the most expensive gas in the nation, since it's all imported.
3. Government subsidies are too low based on the increases in the cost of energy


34 posted on 06/28/2006 8:06:52 PM PDT by bricks4all2
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To: ZOOKER
This should be an ethanol success story - why isn't it?

I think they are more into biodiesel due to their marine economy. It's been years since I checked that but I doubt it has changed.
35 posted on 06/28/2006 8:15:03 PM PDT by P-40 (Al Qaeda was working in Iraq. They were just undocumented.)
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To: Westlander

No offense but ethanol and petrol Gasoline are not 1 for 1 interms of energy potential in a canventional gas engine, it typically requires 25-40% more of ethanol to produce the same output. The company I work for is involved in engine testing and sensor systems. The engineers at our place have been playing with all kinds of fuels and fuel systems for years. You can tweek an engine to convert more ethanol energy but they require more maintainence due to lubrication issues with alcohol.


36 posted on 06/28/2006 8:22:18 PM PDT by SirFishalot
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To: Reeses

Not mentioned in the cross-country test, or experiment results.

Combustion at high temperature and pressure killing the smell?

Any harder to deal with than current fuel emissions
Probably not.


37 posted on 06/28/2006 8:27:30 PM PDT by Richard-SIA ("The natural progress of things is for government to gain ground and for liberty to yield" JEFFERSON)
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To: saganite

Ethanol price were higher today because corn futures were up.


38 posted on 06/28/2006 8:47:51 PM PDT by Memphis Moe
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To: SirFishalot

Understood regarding energy output & cost to produce. No choice here in my designated 'dirty' Lower Peninsula Southeast section of Michigan. All stations must sell a minimum of 5% mix.


39 posted on 06/28/2006 9:25:21 PM PDT by Westlander (Unleash the Neutron Bomb)
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To: SirFishalot
The company I work for is involved in engine testing and sensor systems.

Have they been testing butanol?
40 posted on 06/29/2006 5:32:26 AM PDT by P-40 (Al Qaeda was working in Iraq. They were just undocumented.)
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