If everyone who wants a nice lawn could collect the cuttings for fuel, we could practically solve our fuel and green problems in one.
2007-08-15 11:10:35 · 11 answers · asked by Yarnlady_needsyarn 7 in Environment ➔ Alternative Fuel Vehicles
Not at this time. BUT they ARE working on using regular types of some grasses, weeds, etc as bio-fuels other than ethanol, such as bio-diesel.
Ethanol is alcohol. Alcohol is made from sugars and starches. That is why they use mostly CORN, also sugar cane, sugar beets, etc.
Also, the efficiency of the conversion processes is not real good yet. Gasoline is still more efficiently manufactured and more efficient in use than alcohol fuels; BUT bio-diesel is much closer to equivalent with Diesel than alcohol is with gasoline at this time.
2007-08-15 15:20:47 · answer #1 · answered by f100_supersabre 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wrong again, FredHH. Get the facts. Corn Plus Ethanol in MN has a 600% positive energy yield producing ethanol. For every 1 unit of energy used to make ethanol, 6 units are produced. That is a FACT backed up by the link below. They use wind and biomass to provide the electric needs for the plant, adding money to their bottom line and almost eliminating fossil fuel usage completely.
By the way, I suppose shipping barrels of crude oil on massive oil tankers from Saudi Arabia to the Gulf of Mexico doesn't use any energy. Nor does refining the oil into usable gasoline.
2007-08-16 13:17:11 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes
Grass contains cellulose fibre. With the right yeasts or microbes it can be fermented into a "wash" that can be distilled into ethanol.
With the right microbes just about any plant matter can be.
Similar to this question.
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ak_g9Kh2S7lLhZqIYdG8lyOcGxh.?qid=20070814084858AAG1CeZ
Fermentation takes little energy (the microbes do the work). Energy for Distillation can come from many sources.(e.g.waste heat). Not necessarily a negative energy equation either.
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Not available yet ? Check links on cellulose ethanol
http://www.harvestcleanenergy.org/enews/enews_0505/enews_0505_Cellulosic_Ethanol.htm
http://www.iogen.ca/
There is still work being done to improve the alcohol density in the "wash" but this is viable NOW!!!!
2007-08-16 08:41:07 · answer #3 · answered by Glenn B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes in fact the largiest source of ethanol fuel is from sugarcane that found in the island of Leyte and Cebu,..,/.//.
2007-08-17 08:35:14 · answer #4 · answered by elias p 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes the best yard to grow for the highest conversion to ethonal is hemp. Though the government can not allow it cause they can not tell hemp from pot.
Yes stupidity rules in the USA.
2007-08-16 08:54:09 · answer #5 · answered by Questioner 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
For now the cost of achieving this outweighs the benefits, but in the future it will definitely be possible.
2007-08-16 09:04:21 · answer #6 · answered by VanFiyai 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that would be a great alternative but yet again, the technology to produce that is still not yet here.
2007-08-18 15:56:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes... all of them
The problem... it will take appx 900 btu of energy to convert grass clippings into 870 btu worth of alcohol
2007-08-15 18:16:13 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
not at this time.but after some timeit would be possible.
2007-08-16 02:47:48 · answer #9 · answered by SHINI G 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure, as long as it isn't mine lol!!!
2007-08-16 18:25:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋