Max Heim wrote:
> Bu the fact remains that producing ethanol from corn actually uses more
> fossil fuel-derived energy than the energy content of the ethanol produced.
> It's a net energy loss, and still burns hydrocarbons and uses petroeum-based
> fertilizers, so it's essentially a tradeoff between slightly reduced smog in
> urban areas and use of diesel equipment, trucks and fertilizer in rural
> areas. Perhaps the economics of sugar cane or other crops are different, but
> corn-derived ethanol is essentially an agricultural subsidy.
>
>From the "National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition" website:
* Does it take more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than the
energy we get out of it?*
*Response:*
No. This has been a common misconception of the ethanol industry, that
it takes more energy to make ethanol than is available to the final
consumer. Remember, ethanol is produced from plant matter, today
dominated by corn, wheat, potatoes, sorgum, etc. Plants grow through the
use of energy provided by the sun and are a renewable resources. In the
future, ethanol will be produced from waste products or "energy crops."
In fact, a partner of the NEVC, BC International (BCI), is currently
constructing an ethanol production plant in Louisiana that will use
sugar cane waste to produce ethanol. Additionally, BCI is considering
the establishment of ethanol production facilities in California that
would use the waste hulls from rice growers and wood waste from the
forrest industry to produce ethanol. Energy crops such as perennial
switch grasses, timothy, and other high-output/low-input crops will be
used in the future.
Current research prepared by Argonne National Laboratory (a U.S.
Department of Energy Laboratory), indicates a 38% gain in the overall
energy input/output equation for the corn-to-ethanol process. That is,
if 100 BTUs of energy is used to plant corn, harvest the crop, transport
it, etc., 138 BTUs of energy is available in the fuel ethanol. Corn
yields and processing technologies have improved significantly over the
past 20 years and they continue to do so, making ethanol production less
and less energy intensive.
--
Andrew
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