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"I will try and make it simple and easy for you to understand. Your article included the delivered BTU of the gasoline in the BTU cost of producing the gasoline, because all the BTU's are from a fossil source. It did not include the BTU's from the delivered Ethanol because Ethanol is not a Fossil fuel. If the article was honest it would indicate that it takes 1.73MM BTU's to produce 1 BTU of Ethanol and 1.23MM BTU's to produce 1MM BTU of Gasoline."

No. YOU are the one confused. Simply put, in the case of ethanol, you have 1.73MM BTU of "potentially available energy" (some from fossil, some from solar). In the case of gasoline, you have 2.23MM BTU of "potentially available energy" (all from fossil). After both "refining processes" have been done, you end up with 1MM BTU of ethanol and gasoline, having expended 0.73MM BTU to produce the fuel-grade ethanol, and 1.23MM BTU to produce the gasoline.

The link you posted is to a study by a GRADUATE STUDENT, for cripes sake.

See post #145 for a REAL scientific study (which agrees with the Argonne study, BTW).

In the case of gasoline, you have 2.23MM BTU of "potentially available energy" (all from fossil).

You should reread your own links.

Not only does it count the fuel itself, it also ignores the BTU content of all the other products. And there is a lot of energy in the other products. We do not consume that much energy only for gasoline, we consume that much for gasoline and diesel and jet fuel and kerosene and Petrochem Feedstock and on and on.

I went to your site. The Argonne study. Figure 2, if you add up all the numbers indicates that it takes 1.19 energy units to produce 1 energy unit of gasoline and 1.98 energy units to produce 1 energy unit of Ethanol. It takes more coal energy alone to produce the enthanol energy than you get out of it. LOL

Now lets look at your funny numbers.

After both "refining processes" have been done, you end up with 1MM BTU of ethanol and gasoline, having expended 0.73MM BTU to produce the fuel-grade ethanol, and 1.23MM BTU to produce the gasoline.

Let's pretend for a second that you are right and let us convert the units to gallons to make it easier to understand :) You are stating that it take 1.23 gallons of gasoline to manufacture one gallon of gasoline. So for every gallon sold 1.23 gallons was used to get it to the cars gas tank.

A barrel of crude (let us assume that it all becomes gas) costs 60 dollars and contains 42 gallons that is $1.43 per gallon. If we use your numbers then it takes 1.23 gallons to make the gas and 1 gallon for the gas. 1.23+1=2.23 gallons. At $1.43 per gallon the cost to produce a gallon of gasoline is $1.43 x 2.23 = $3.19. That is for the cost of the raw material alone. Do you really believe that Oil companies sell gas at a loss?

Even with your lack of reading comprehension, I don't think you are that stupid. Take a step back and think about what you are saying. Does it make sense to you that out of a barrel of oil, 70% of it is consumed to make 30%?

you have 2.23MM BTU of "potentially available energy" (all from fossil).

At their press release:
Argonne expert addresses energy, environmental impacts of fuel ethanol

There is a short presentation that walks through the comparison of energies required for different fuels. It also compares fuels used for electrical power generation. This makes it clear the 1.23 MMBTU to produce 1 MMBTU includes the BTU of the fuel itself.