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Hybrid Vehicles Ethanol - E85 FlexFuel Is Ethanol good for the environment?
165 messages, Last post on Sep 24, 2008 at 5:25 AM
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Replying to: boilermaker2 (Apr 01, 2006 7:29 pm) What was the seepage from the silo full of corn ensilage that made the cows and pigs drunk (ruined milk shipment for a couple of days). Was that Ethanol...it seemed to have quite a kick to it? Should have mixed it with the gas in the Allis Chalmers! ...darned AL seems to be visiting more lately..! |
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Replying to: gagrice (Jul 29, 2004 5:33 am) 2) U.S. produces about 33% of all the corn in the world. We can just rely on our own resources and not put money into the hands of people in the Middle East. How does that not enhance energy security??? 3) Ethanol can continuously be reproduced as long as we have maize. So only if we lose all of our maize will this become an issue. The fact that it's not a renewable energy source is erroneous because we will probably have maize for as long as the U.S. will be in existence. 4) Yes, it’s true, it won’t produce clean air and it causes environmental degradation. Not any different than gasoline!!! 5) Finally, yes, I agree with John. Show me an actual white paper! I can just as easily write up nonsense in my own document and post it to start a following. I want to see all the cited references of environmental damage caused by the use of oil/gasoline as well.
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Replying to: zarplex2003 (May 16, 2006 1:40 pm) How much more would you like? Here is what the Canadiens think of Ethanol corporate welfare. ethanol production does not enhance energy security, is not a renewable energy source, is not an economical fuel, and does not ensure clean air...its production uses land suitable for crop production and causes environmental degradation." |
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Replying to: zarplex2003 (May 16, 2006 1:40 pm) I don't think anyone is arguing that we cannot raise corn and make ethanol. The problem is the amount of fossil fuel that is used to grow the corn and distill it into ethanol. So it is only renewable until we run out of fossil fuel. If the US is so set on ethanol they need to find a better crop than corn to produce it. So far it is all talk and no production as it pertains to Switchgrass, tree stumps or pollywogs. Currently Ethanol is just corporate welfare worse than that given to the oil companies. What is so great about that?
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Replying to: gagrice (May 16, 2006 4:25 pm) Even for more efficient crops, the land requirements are huge. One estimate here says: As for the land required to support significant biofuel production from a dedicated energy crop, switch grass offers a basis for estimation. It grows rapidly, with an expected harvest one or two years after planting. Ignoring crop rotation, an acre under cultivation will produce five to 10 tons of switch grass annually, which in turn provides 50 to 100 gallons of ethanol per ton of biomass. Thus the land requirement needed to displace one million barrels of oil per day (about 10% of U.S. oil imports projected by 2025), is 25 million acres (or 39,000 square miles). This is roughly 3% of the crop, range and pasture land that the Department of Agriculture classifies as available in the U.S. So, based on this, replacing all imported oil would take 30% of land. |
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Replying to: zarplex2003 (May 16, 2006 1:40 pm) |
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Replying to: fireball1 (May 18, 2006 5:29 pm)
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Replying to: fireball1 (May 18, 2006 5:29 pm) Welcome to the discussion. Good point on the water. Not only are they doing a lot of irrigating of corn. They are flushing much of the fertilizers into the streams and rivers in the process. I do not see how any credible environmentalist could be in favor of ethanol in its current state of production. If they figure out a process for some less invasive crop like Switchgrass it may change the picture.
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Replying to: raychuang00 (May 18, 2006 8:34 pm)
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Replying to: gagrice (May 19, 2006 5:20 pm) 
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