Ethanol Problem ?

[annes]

While countries are searching for the solution of how to reduce global warming and fossil fuel consumption. Some answer corn-based ethanol is the solution.
Is there any benefit to corn-based ethanol from either an economical or environmental viewpoint?

[forfi]

Originally Posted by richa

. Ethanol is just one of a portfolio of new energy technologies that will be needed over the coming years.

New?? petrol in Ireland was boosted with ethanol since about 1938 although I think that stopped a few years back.

[Digit]

It was used in England years ago and is the standard fuel in Brazil.
As a prime mover it's a pretty lousy fuel, it's calorific is lower than nearly every other fuel.
In additions its by product is mainly water, which isn't good for most IC engines.
Environmentally its advantages are very questionable as it takes a lot of power to produce it, (so does petrol) but produced from corn, as in the States, its farm production is miles from most customers and it uses a lot of fuel simply to move it around.
Also you can't eat it!

Roy.

[svenrufus]

I reckon all primary biofuels - ie ones not made from waste products/chip fat etc - are an environmental negative, as they either destroy habitat in clearing land for growing them, or they destroy habitat in displacing agriculture that has to then clear land to grow them, or they simply reduce the ability of people to grow the food they need locally, necessitating further fuel costs for transporting food in to replace lst production.

All that is before even considering the fact that most primary biofuels create almost as much CO2 in production and transportation as they save from burning fossil fuels. And then we need to consider that the drive towards biofuels is merely a way for the status quo to be propped up for a little bit longer, continuing the whole practice of over production, overconsumption, and waste that we already do to excess. If there was not a biofuel alternative, then we would need to make some changes to those damaging practices sooner, and that is where the real benefits would come from.

Chip fat on the other hand is fine, and makes good use of what would otherwise be a waste product. Of course, there is the problem of the growing obesity crisis that we face, so might have its drawbacks as well.....

No-one said it was easy.....

[Gill Catton]

what about the proposed biodiesel resulting from growing algae?
I have read a couple of articles about in in New Scientist (not that I can remember the detail right now!!) and it seemed to be relatively promising. Particularly if the could locate the plants next to factories that belch CO2 as this preseumably could be captured and funnelled in to stimulate the algal growth.

If they could do this in perspex tubes they could almost do it anywhere, use land unsuitable for agriculture - the could even do it on the roof tops of large factories even?

[Tormentil]

Originally Posted by svenrufus

Chip fat on the other hand is fine, and makes good use of what would otherwise be a waste product. Of course, there is the problem of the growing obesity crisis that we face, so might have its drawbacks as well.....

You mean we'll end up with fat cars ??