Is ethanol not the answer???

Question

From what i understand it cost more to produce ethanol and waste more fuel than it does to produce gasoline from oil??

Answer 1

Alright, there are many answers to this question. First off, there are many factors to consider in ethanol production - such as what material the ethanol is made of, if the waste products are being dried into feed, how far the plant is from the crop, etc. etc. etc.

If you look at corn-based ethanol, for instance, it's true that this type of fuel leads to the food vs. fuel conflict we've been seeing in the states recently. The plus side of corn ethanol is that it can be domestically produced - sugar can't. Sugar ethanol has it's own host of problems, including the deforestation of rainforests to produce more land for sugar production. But it DOES have a higher energy output than corn does.

There are much better options. I wish I had the study with me now, but there has been work done on producing ethanol from mixed prarie/native grasses in the U.S., which has the added benefit of being cultivatable on land that isn't suitable for other agriculture. Solutions like this are only just beginning to be considered.

The bottom line is this: any new technology has some kinks that need to be worked out. When computers were invented, they were huge machines that wasted large ammounts of energy and could only add and subtract. Where were the naysayers then? Ethanol may not be ideal, but ALL ethanol has a net energy GAIN - that is, you will get more energy out of a gallon of ethanol than what you put into it during production.

Ethanol and other biofuels are NOT the only answer - they can never be more than a partial solution to the problem. However, because biofuels can be made of waste products: algae, used soda pop, etc., and because we have the technology to pursue them NOW, I believe that they remain a viable technology.

Answer 2

If you took every kernel of corn that was produced in the US last year and converted it all to ethanol, it would amount to about 12% of the US's gasoline consumption. And that doesn't even factor in the energy required to produce the corn.

Then you have to consider the loss of corn as a food source, both for humans and animals. The limited development of ethanol so far has already caused food shortages (and price rises) in countries that can least afford it. Mexico, for example, is feeling the crunch since corn-based tortillas are a major food source.

Answer 3

Oil price is affected by geopolitical factors such as tension in the Middle East. I don't think sugar cane, corn and wood chip price will be affected by these factors at all.

Do you think oil drilling, refining, and transported by oil tankers not wasting any energy?

We should use alternative energy, and eventually ethanol to produce ethanol.

Answer 4

Corn based ethanol isn't the way, but sugar cane based ethanol could make it happen, if Congress ends ADM's Corn subsidies.

Answer 5

No it is not, your have to grow corn, when that competes with the food supply your create a supply demand and that will force prices up.