I have been building ethanol plants for the last 6 years. I like the thought of ethanol as a new fuel source. The feed for animals is better than before it was turned to ethanol. I really only see one problem with this that needs to be solved.
You really only see a 15% increase by making this fuel. The problem being that it takes energy to make energy. This is a common problem with all new renewable energy sources. Gas pump it, refine it, distribute it. Solar panels high cost to make, Low return. Hydrogen (Forget it) way to costly to produce, great for the enviroment though. My dad has told me about the first self sustaining plant that will feed cows and the methane produced will power the ethanol plant if this works it is a new very clean power source. Ideas and thoughts about this subject. sorry about the spelling
2006-06-28 10:39:55 · 7 answers · asked by twocooldrew 2 in Environment
Although I admire all the effort going into finding a realistic alternative fuel, I'm pretty sure E85 isn't it. It's not an efficient fuel to produce or use. The MPG is significantly lower, so it will take a horde more E85 to run all of America's automobiles than the gasoline it currently takes, which means people will also be paying more.
Hydrogen not only costs way too much to produce, but in most cases it's NOT enviro-friendly because of the methods used to get the hydrogen to its "fuel" state. The fuel itself is enviro-friendly, but the production process is horrible. At least at the moment.
The primary problems with all these supposed alternative fuels (to gasoline) are the production process, distribution method, and efficiency. Most people who fall in love with a "clean" alternative fuel don't bother to check the process used to make that fuel. Often, the production process is very "dirty".
I hope someone solves the issues, but I also hope Americans realize that the current alternatives are not real solutions.
2006-06-28 10:51:44 · answer #1 · answered by Farly the Seer 5 · 4⤊ 2⤋
The problem with ethanol is where to get all of it? If we replaced all gasoline with ethanol produced using current methods, it would take 95% of the land mass in North America being entirely devoted to agriculture.
As for hydrogen, it is not a fuel source, it is an energy carrier. The most promising thing right now is hydrogen produced through electrolysis from coal power plants. Yes, you still have the pollutants of the coal but the emissions could be better regulated and controlled as it would all occur in one place, not all over the road from every car.
The truth is, who knows how we will wean ourselves off of oil, ethanol, hydrogen, no one solution exists. It will take a combination of different methods to fuel us into the future to discover even more innovative sources of energy.
2006-06-29 04:16:48 · answer #2 · answered by Gekko 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ethanol is possible but not off of corn. There simply isn't enough corn in the US to do it.
Cellulose would make it possible. 95% of US farmland with corn, 30% with cellulose. If all of the plant waste farmers leave in the fields would be used to make ethanol, better than 60% of gasoline would be replaced with ethanol. That is just using the left over corn stalks, and leftover plant matter.
This would be further reduced if we switch to butanol some time in the future as is has better mpg than ethanol with no corrosive problems.
The energy problem is not as big as people make it to be. We invent a technology, then we work to make it more efficient. It would be silly to try any other direction. Time is the issue with efficiency. Technologies such as hydrogen aren't yet efficient because we need to find a viable source that everyone agrees with before we try to make it efficient.
2006-06-29 11:27:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely, the Bible is full of genuine debts of matters that did occur because the historic documents and proof from antiquity will exhibit. The Bible additionally has many reports in it that had been handed down from verbal tales over the years which would possibly not have occurred precisely as we learn them now in one other language. Do no longer fail to remember that there are variations within the meanings of special phrases from Greek to Hebrew to English, and so on., and the ones will also be very enormous while you're seeking to observe a strict, literal interpretation of simply precisely what did occur. And then there are passages within the Bible which have been informed as STORIES supposed to coach a lesson. For instance, Jesus spoke in parables as some way for instructing humans in some way that they could fully grasp. Did the parables truthfully occur precisely as spoken? Maybe they did or did not. But there's no hiding the truth that they had been a tale informed which made feel in instructing a lesson, for instance, the myth of constructing your residence on a rock as opposed to the sand. The one at the rock will stand the scan of time and climate even as the only on sand will disintegrate and fall away. So too must one construct their religion on that that is forged like a rock that passes the scan of time as opposed to anything inconstant that shifts and will with no trouble fade away. The tale has advantage to coach a lesson. Did it truthfully occur? Probably someplace it did at a while. But that is no longer the factor. It is the LESSON at the back of the tale that offers rationale to the tale being written. Even the account of construction in Genesis is greatly identified through theologians as a tale which was once borrowed from the historical Babylonians earlier than the upward thrust of the Jews and a Hebrew country. The Babylonians had a multi-God theocracy which the Hebrews rejected. But for the Hebrews to wholly revolutionize the humans's greatly authorised knowledge of ways the sector got here to be could were an excessive amount of. So they BORROWED this account of construction and as an alternative of a multi-God theocracy, they instituted their god -- YAHWEH -- because the One True God. This isn't an evidence that's greatly taught in church buildings for the duration of the land, however for many who research historical past and the way the Bible got here to be, they recognize that is the way it occurred. But despite the fact that each and every unmarried global of the Bible can not be proven as anything that occurred, such a lot of it did. And within of it you are going to uncover excellent significance and knowledge which has been validated via the a while. So don't throw the whole record out must you uncover one object that didn't occur. It is a COLLECTION of writings over the years. And due to the fact such a lot of of the books have teachings and wisdoms in natural, appear into your possess center and spot should you suppose those teachings to be legitimate and real of their rationale for serving to you on your possess travel via this existence. And THAT is what the Bible was once written for.
2016-08-31 08:53:30 · answer #4 · answered by leng 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you saying that we are going to power a power plant by cow farts?
Please tell me that I'm missing something.
2006-06-30 03:42:02 · answer #5 · answered by HEATHER 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only thing making it viable is Government subsidies. Once they disappear (or shrink), the whole idea will collapse.
2006-06-28 10:44:11 · answer #6 · answered by applpro 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that's a good choice, but the there are fuel cell engines now, and i think that'll be the way soon.
2006-06-28 11:17:12 · answer #7 · answered by rguifa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋