QUESTION #1 REGARDING ETHANOL..more specifically E85 as it pertains to alternative fuel option ?

Question

If , as the ethanol naysayers or the so-called studies say...that it takes more energy to manufacture ethanol than ethanol yields,..then I'd like to see the same study about how much energy it takes to turn out a barrel of gasoline ? Also considering the cost factor @ $70 a barrel for crude, and all the "energy" spent on protecting oil producing countries ?

Is it just me ? or does anybody else question some of these studies ? and have you ever noticed 'who' conducts some these studies....what's their agenda?

I know this more than one question but I need more than 1 answer

I am very aware of Brazil's use of ethanol made from sugar cane They don't have an energy crisis like us.
my question is actually about the LEGITAMACY of the 'studies' ?
and WHO is doin the studies ? & What is Thier agenda ?

Answer 1

I have questioned these studiess for year,s,,and asked myself,,who actually does them,,and how they come by the number,s that they have,,if you look back at gas price,s ten year,s ago,,there studie,s then talked of the cost to re-fine a barrel of crude oil,,now they talk about the cost of getting it out of the ground,,and to the refinery,,and yes our government,,payed for these studies to take place,,and it wasn't a rocket scientist that did it either,,it was a common person,probably much like you ,,or me that did them,,although some were did by oil producer,s i believe this to be a deterrent,,to those trying to push E-85,,it,s a control thing when it come,s to fuel now day,s anyway if indeed gas does got to 4.00 buck,s a gallon like they say it might by the end of summer,,then i guess we all might have to re-think our own strategy,,as far as being conservative,,well they need to tell the people doing the studies,s to take all this in to consideration also,,,i am sure we all have opinion,s on the matter,,and it,s good we can voice our say about them,,but will anyone listen,,or anybody care,,probably not,,hope this help,s.

Answer 2

Ethanol was last seen as an alternative during the gas crisis of the 70"s. Yes it will work in internal combustion gas engines. It does cost more to produce than the energy it yields. Ethanol will damage the seals of the engines produced today. Ethanol deliverers less mileage per gallon than gasoline. Ethanol is again being marketed as a better alternative. Do not believe it. In this country gasoline is still cheaper than bottled water. The 20% of oil we import from the Near East is still very cheap to get. This supports the oil industries profit. There are 1000 years of our oil needs available in the Upper North American Continent. It will cost more to extract it. When gasoline prices reach $5 dollars a gallon then the oil companies will extract the oil from these oil fields. On another note. To those looking at these hybrid cars, do the math. You would have to drive 50,000 miles to break even. Guess what, after 50,000 miles you would need a new battery pack at a cost of $2,500. All this info is out there to check for yourself.

Answer 3

The studies show that if ethanol is made from corn, it's an iffy proposition. The price of the corn, the price of the labor at the plant, etc., can all add up to be a little more or less than the value of the ethanol. But, if we went to cellulosic ethanol, which can be made from any cellulose source (such as grass clippings, dead Christmas trees, wheat chaff, cottonwood trees, etc.), then it's definitely a winner. Just ask Brazil. They may be the newest "OPEC" when it comes to exporting ethanol to the rest of the world.

Answer 4

you have to look at the bias of the studies and the people promoting them. Oil companies promote the studies that say ethanol is negative energy. Corn companies promote the studies that say ethanol is very positive energy.

I think the truth is probably in the middle. Either bias has good reason to go over in their estimates. Oil companies pretend that all corn in the US is irrigated when most of it is not resulting in huge over estimates of energy usage. Corn lobbies like to exclude any ethanol making that is done using older techonolgy that isn't as efficient. I think the studies that show modest positive energy is probably more along the lines of truth on adverage.

It is getting better as we go. Butanol is slowly coming along and that will be a huge improvement when it replaces ethanol.

Answer 5

Another fact about ethonol for you...

even if we used all of our corn crop, we would only produce 12% of our needed supplies.

Pigs consume about 40% of America's corn, so it's either lose the piggies, or only produce about 8% of our total fuel needed... AHHHHHHHHHH!

Can we say energy crisis!