Author Topic: Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ?Unsustainable Subsidized  (Read 1816 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ?Unsustainable Subsidized
« on: April 28, 2006, 01:27:00 PM »
David Pimental, a leading Cornell University agricultural expert, has calculated that powering the average U.S. automobile for one year on ethanol (blended with gasoline) derived from corn would require 11 acres of farmland, the same space needed to grow a year's supply of food for seven people. Adding up the energy costs of corn production and its conversion into ethanol, 131,000 BTUs are needed to make one gallon of ethanol. One gallon of ethanol has an energy value of only 77,000 BTUS. Thus, 70 percent more energy is required to produce ethanol than the energy that actually is in it. Every time you make one gallon of ethanol, there is a net energy loss of 54,000 BTUs.

Mr. Pimentel concluded that "abusing our precious croplands to grow corn for an energy-inefficient process that yields low-grade automobile fuels amounts to unsustainable subsidized food burning".

Neither increases in government subsidies to corn-based ethanol fuel nor hikes in the price of petroleum can overcome what Cornell University agricultural scientist, David Pimentel, calls a fundamental input-yield problem: It takes more energy to make ethanol from grain than the combustion of ethanol produces.

At a time when ethanol-gasoline mixtures (gasohol) are touted as the American answer to fossil fuel shortages by corn producers, food processors and some lawmakers, Cornell?s David Pimentel, one of the world?s leading experts in issues relating to energy and agriculture, takes a longer range view.

"Abusing our precious croplands to grow corn for an energy-inefficient process that yields low-grade automobile fuel amounts to unsustainable, subsidized food burning", says the Cornell professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Pimentel, who chaired a U.S. Department of Energy panel that investigated the energetics, economics and environmental aspects of ethanol production several years ago, subsequently conducted a detailed analysis of the corn-to-car fuel process. His findings are published in the September, 2001 issue of the Encyclopedia of Physical Sciences and Technology .

http://healthandenergy.com/ethanol.htm
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Offline Jeff_Berryman

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Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ?Unsustainable Subsidized
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2006, 08:59:00 AM »
There are alternatives coming down the pike.  A canadian outfit is using recombinant-DNA derived enzymes to breakdown cellulose into sugars for fermentation.  That way, you're using the entire corn plan rather than just the grain.  (And that way you can use the grain for food and the rest of the plant for fuel.)

They're also talking about using perennials such as switchgrass or elephant grass instead of corn, because they require little cultivation.

An outfit called Changing World Technologies has a process that theoretically can make synthetic oil out of almost anything organic.  They have a pilot plant in Missouri making oil out of turkey offal from a Conagra turkey processing plant.  It's an expensive and energy-intensive process that has not gotten competitive with natural crude oil yet, but they're working on it.

Several other organics-to-oil technologies are being researched, but technical details are sketchy.  

Texas A&M university is working on a process where organic matter is broken down by bacteria and the resulting runoff synthesized into alcohols of various kinds - not just ethanol.  They are also working on a revolutionary new engine technology called Star Rotor that should triple the fuel efficiency of existing engines.  

As long as the price of crude remains high everyone and his brother will be working on alternatives.  What worries me most is that the race may be won by people trying to make tar sands or shale oil economic.  Then we're still adding "New" carbon to the biosphere instead of reusing existing carbon, and global warming will continue.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
hen I mount my horse, ALL THE WINDMILLS IN SPAIN TREMBLE!

Offline Deborah

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Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ?Unsustainable Subsidized
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2006, 11:26:00 AM »
watch the video. This is exciting.

I checked Snopes.com & googled, it looks true....
CARS powered by water. No joke...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HF__Qlhtnws& ... er%20power

Another report if it seems too good to be true,
from Chicago Fox news: http://www.foxchicago.com/_ezpost/data/23255.shtml
"...Klein says his prototype 1994 Ford Escort can travel exclusively on water? though he currently has it rigged to run as a water and gasoline hybrid. [100 miles on 4 oz of water]

"Simply speaking, our plan is to end our dependence on fossil fuels."

Pete Domeneci is helping Klein take his hydrogen technology patents from a two-room office to consumer markets around the world.

"You know what, Microsoft started from a small garage; why not hydrogen technologies?"
The duo is already in negotiations with one U.S. automaker and the U.S. government.
Members of Congress recently invited Denny Klein to Washington to demonstrate his technology and his company is currently developing a Hummer for the U.S. military that can run on both water and gasoline. So far, his water-powered engines have passed all performance safety inspections."

Hydrogen Technology Applications, Inc.
4707 140th Avenue North, Suite 116
Clearwater, Florida 33762
Phone: 1-727-531-5979
Fax: 1-727-531-3670
Mr. Denny Klein, President
Mr. Peter Dominici, Vice President of Finance & Information
This story was posted 08.16.05 and has not been updated."
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Hidden Lake Academy, after operating 12 years unlicensed will now be monitored by the state. Access information on the Federal Class Action lawsuit against HLA here: http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?t=17700

Offline Anonymous

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Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ?Unsustainable Subsidized
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2006, 11:21:39 PM »
Original source URL:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 4784769158

An inspiring video on new energy available for free viewing on Google
Video is the best documentary available on new energy sources which
can powerfully transform our world. The award-winning documentary,
Free Energy-The Race to Zero Point, provides a thorough, professional
examination of the leading theories and practical inventions that tap
into zero point
energy-now acknowledged by quantum physicists to exist in all space
as a potential source of infinite and accessible electromagnetic
energy. Respected engineers and scientists explain in understandable
terms how amazing new energy technologies and inventions can go
beyond alternative energy to solve the energy crisis on our planet.
-WantToKnow.info
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Offline Deborah

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Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ?Unsustainable Subsidized
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2006, 11:53:14 AM »
"Sweden Vows to Go Oil-Free in 15 Years"

Plans to be the first oil-free country in the world
by 2020 call for renewables -- including biofuels,
wind, and wave power -- to replace fossil fuels.  
The country already committed itself to phasing
out nuclear energy.

Scientists, industry leaders, farmers, and others
will develop a detailed plan for presentation to
Sweden's parliament in October.

Sweden already gets 26% of its energy from
renewable sources, while the European Union
average is just 6 %.

"We want to be both mentally and technically
prepared for a world without oil," The Guardian
quoted a government official as saying.  "The
plan is a response to climate change, rising
petroleum prices, and warnings by some experts
that the world may soon be running out of oil."

Many Swedish homes are heated by wood-fired boilers,
geothermal energy, or waste heat.  Sweden is
encouraging its citizens to drive non-gas-powered
vehicles by offering exemptions from tolls and parking
fees.  Tax breaks now make ethanol-based fuel
one-third as expensive as ordinary gasoline.

-- Rik Langendoen, Yes! A Journal of Positive
Futures, summer 2006, 6
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Offline Deborah

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Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ?Unsustainable Subsidized
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2006, 08:34:37 AM »
Petrolius: The Oil Habit

by:
http://freedomfromoil.org
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Hidden Lake Academy, after operating 12 years unlicensed will now be monitored by the state. Access information on the Federal Class Action lawsuit against HLA here: http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?t=17700

Offline Antigen

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Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ?Unsustainable Subsidized
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2006, 11:26:35 AM »
Once you factor in all of the factors, from war to distribution to political spending, regulation and all the rest, how many BTUs go into putting a gallon of gasoline in your car?
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Offline Deborah

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Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ?Unsustainable Subsidized
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2006, 12:17:05 PM »
The report divides the external costs of gasoline usage into five primary areas: (1) Tax Subsidization of the Oil Industry; (2) Government Program Subsidies; (3) Protection Costs Involved in Oil Shipment and Motor Vehicle Services; (4) Environmental, Health, and Social Costs of Gasoline Usage; and (5) Other Important Externalities of Motor Vehicle Use. Together, these external costs total $558.7 billion to $1.69 trillion per year, which, when added to the retail price of gasoline, result in a per gallon price of $5.60 to $15.14.

TAX SUBSIDIES - $9.1 to $17.8 billion.
PROGRAM SUBSIDIES - $38 to $114.6 billion.
PROTECTION SUBSIDIES - $27.2 to $38.2 billion.
ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH AND SOCIAL COSTS - $231.7 to $942.9 billion
OTHER EXTERNAL COSTS - $191.4 to $474.1 billion

The first step toward getting the public to recognize the damage caused by the United States' gasoline dependence is getting the public to recognize how much they are paying for this damage. The best way, in turn, to accomplish this goal is to eliminate government tax subsidies, program subsidies, and protection subsidies for petroleum companies and users, and to internalize the external environmental, health, and social costs associated with gasoline use. This would mean that consumers would see the entire cost of burning gasoline reflected in the price they pay at the pump. Drivers faced with the cost of their gasoline usage up front may have a more difficult time ignoring the harmful effects that their addiction to automobiles and the internal combustion engine have on national security, the environment, their health, and their quality of life.

http://www.distributiondrive.com/Article4.html

"Real" Price of Gas To Consumers Is As High As $15.14 Per Gallon: Study Details Over $1.69 Trillion In Social Costs And Government Welfare For Gas Industry; Middle East Tensions And Global Warming Major Contributors To Massive Increase In Real Cost of Gas
http://www.commondreams.org/pressreleas ... 11698e.htm
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Hidden Lake Academy, after operating 12 years unlicensed will now be monitored by the state. Access information on the Federal Class Action lawsuit against HLA here: http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?t=17700