Why don't they push for burning alchohol in cars to help the global warming problem?

Question

This to me seems more feasable than hydrogen or solar power. Burning alcohol would take minimal changes to engines that can burn gasoline and is inherently cleaner burning. Any CO2 or H20 that is emitted will get reabsorbed when new plants are grown to produce more alchohol. It would be a closed system. No extra carbon will be added to the system this way, as opposed to it being pumed from the ground like it is now.

Answer 1

The cycle (plants to ethanol, with the COw from burning eventuallyreclaimed by more plants) is exactly th e ida behind biofuels--including ethanol (alcohol). So good thinking.

There is a problem, though--to produce a lot of etanol or other biofuels, means shifting alot of land--either not now cultivated (which can cause other environmental problems) or land currently cultivated (which means we lose whatever else we were growing on that land).

I'm not saying this is a "bad" idea--its a very good one, and you're right on track. But remember this: to solve the energy production problem, we will need a range of technologies and methods. No single "magic bullet" exists. Biofuels are a promising part of the solution--but we need wind, solar, etc. and conservationtechnologies and policies--everything from enrgy-efficient light bulbs to more fuel eefficient cars to expanded mass transit systems.

Answer 2

exciting. i detect it complicated to think approximately the information while lots of political factions submit information on their web content. an in depth chum is a chemical engineer and has completed very lots of analyzing on the problem and believes there is something yet consensus. His take is that that's lots extra complicated than the medical community is conscious. isn't it magnificent how some human beings call it a actuality? i do no longer understand of something medical that substitute into no longer a actuality at some point and fiction the subsequent. that's consistent in technological information. i've got self assurance we could continually act in a in charge thank you to maintain our planet sparkling using fact that's the appropriate difficulty to do. no one is for pollutants, and that i think of many anybody is starting to be extra conscious of chemicals, etc that are purely risky. Al Gore would not understand extra beneficial than any scientist, and he's creating wealth from it. If he have been a Republican, each liberal on right here might blast him as a profiteer, so as that's a reason that's skeptical. we will see. the main serious difficulty is oil dependency. we are enriching our enemy, and we could substitute into self reliant.

Answer 3

If the technology were feasible, there would be some development. See electric, hydrogen, ethanol, and biodiesel vehicles, for example. Even compressed air vehicles are being developed. I would assume that burning alcohol is simply too inefficient of a process to be used in transportation.

Answer 4

The oil companies seriously have too big of a hold right now and money talks. They have actually been testing hydrogen fuel cells, like what is used in the space program, in buses and some cars. It's called Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (HFI).
http://www.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm

Answer 5

Simply put, it takes almost as much energy to grow the corn and distill the fermented pulp into ethanol as it saves in gasoline. The combines and tractors run on fossel fuel, the distillation plants use natural gas or coal to provide electricity (nuclear, wind and hydroelectric combined is less than 35%).
In short, the savings it provides is not that great.

Answer 6

Two things to think about:

1. The car makers are in bed with the oil companies.

2. Brazil uses alcohol from sugar cane. Problem is, it takes HUGE tracts of land to grow this, leading to defoliation.

Answer 7

That is a good idea, but then we run into futhure problems up the road. Like we don't have enough alchohol as it is grown in fields for Sugar Cane. Please visit our website at: http://www.dogwalkeraz.com/survey.htm and fill out on survey on pollution, and after you send you, you will see some simple things you can do to help along with what other people have said.

THANK YOU, AND PLEASE HELP SAVE OUR WORLD.

Take Care-

Answer 8

Without a distributioin system the fuel type means nothing. If they are going to make a wholesale move from oil to another fuel they are going to choose the best alternative and do it once (maybe twice if no lessons were learned by VHS vs. Beta)

Answer 9

Lobbyists.



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