Ethanol is a fine concept, as an alternate auto fuel - except, what are you gonna do when there is a blight?

Question

Well, that is a draw back about using grain based fuel for burning in your car. Regardless of whether it is a wheat or corn blight (just another opportunity for terrorists to exploit) Even a drought or other severe weather can affect crops. What are we gonna use - our abundant crops of Spuds instead? Won't that have the effect of not having fries with your burger, not to mention making a big dent in vodka production for human consumption.

Its gonna be difficult to drow sorrows, since most alcohol is derived from fermented grain. Except, the only exception being wine, but you'd have to have a pretty low tollerance for alcohol to get a buzz on wine.

Its gonna be difficult to drown our sorrows, since most alcohol is derived from fermented grain. Except, the only exception being wine, but you'd have to have a pretty low tollerance for alcohol to get a buzz on wine.

Answer 1

Another drawback of using ethanol is the quantity. Although there is enough corn to provide enough ethanol for much of the midwest, there is simply not enough corn production to solve our country's oil consumption problem. There is not enough resources to provide ethanol for the entire country. And with peak oil production already past, we are going to need to find some sort of alternative to our wasteful use of oil resources.

Answer 2

The only point I would like to make is that beer is also made from wheat, corn, and barley, and beer is made in megatons every day throughout the world.

I don't recall a beer shortage ever occuring in the last 100 years. In other words, odds are good that if there is plenty of grain for beer, (and cereal for that matter), there will be plenty of grain for ethanol. In fact, much of the ethanol produced today comes from distillation of bad batches of beer.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but the point is- we can argue about what if's all day long. What are we gonna do when there isn't a sun? Does that mean we shouldn't pursue solar power?

What if the wind doesn't blow in the proper direction? Does that mean wind power isn't viable?

By the way-

Technically, vodka is made from any number of sugar/starch plant matter. Most modern vodka is actually made from grain such as sorghum and corn.

Smirnoff and Stolichnaya are both made from wheat.

Potatoes are actually the least favored plant to use for vodka, because it tends to produce an oily quality in the alcohol.

Answer 3

You have a valid point!

The advantage to Ethanol is that (at least for now) it adds to our fuel possibilities, rather than removing possibilities. My truck (a Ford) runs on both regular gas and ethanol. If Iran were to try to blow up Israel, and gas was $8 a gallon, I could give ethanol (which is more expensive and less efficient) a try.

But if terrorists screwed up our corn supply, as you suggest, then gasoline would be cheaper, and I could use that instead. Or I could ride a bicycle.

By the way, ya know where most of our corn goes now? To feed for cattle. If you use ethanol, you will raise the price of beef. Ain't economics neat?

Answer 4

We never seem to have a shortage of other corn products, what with irrigation, pesticides, and the fact that there are many corn growers all over the country, so if one field is blighted, we can just use another one. Why would ethanol be an exception?

Answer 5

I live in farm country. They raise lots of corn here. There is now this year a drought, and no corn is growing. Soooooo, there goes the alternate fuel concept.

Answer 6

Ethanol can be made from any substance rich in both carbon and sugar. This can include anything from grass clippings, table scraps, moldy bread, paper, even raw sewage! Gee that car's exhaust smells like sh....ut up and drive!

Answer 7

Right on man. I will de- denature the ethanol at the rate of 75 dollars per gallon of pure.

Answer 8

Ethanol can be derived from switch grass which wouldn't affect our food supply.