Thread: What do you know about Ethanol?

I think any crop based ethanol is a bad solution. This requires growing edible crops for fuel. It doesn’t much make sense to me. Besides, the amount of crop would require tremendous amounts of fertilizer which are petroleum based.

Why not reduce fuel instead of looking for new sources?

Originally Posted by DSailing

I think any crop based ethanol is a bad solution. This requires growing edible crops for fuel. It doesn’t much make sense to me. Besides, the amount of crop would require tremendous amounts of fertilizer which are petroleum based.

Why not reduce fuel instead of looking for new sources?

I'm more along these lines. Engines can be so much more efficient in what they do without losing much performance (if any at all). I expect that the new research that is going into the Formula 1 cars will blow this wide open, leading the way to hybrid car efficiency but still 100% gasoline.

Something I think needs to be looked into more is fuels from waste or byproducts. Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could take all that landfill waste and convert it into something we could run our cars on. There is currently a company that has a process for doing just this, but it's still in its very expensive, time consuming infancy. I think this is one of the best solutions because it fixes two constants- the constant need for fuel and the constant production of waste.

Have to agree with DSailing on this one.

Look at grain prices already and we are just at the beginning of the ethanol boom. Even beer is more expensive because of the increase in Ethanol production. I'd rather walk and eat than starve while driving.

Not to mention that Ethanol is a poor fuel source just from an output standpoint. It id far less efficient than petrol.

I do like biodiesel though mostly because it takes a waste product an makes it usable. Plus think of the increase in glycerin soap production, could bring the prices down

Don’t me wrong, I don’t agree with ethanol, but long term petrol use is unsustainable too. I just don’t see the need to burn food for fuel. I do like the idea of waste or methane, but I think the best solution is reduction. I use solar panels and a wind generator, but these even take petrol in order for creation not to mention the batteries, but I try to reduce my electrical and fuel consumption. I only use lights when needed, ride my bike when feasible, etc…

We've got it mixed with standard unleaded over here - this blended fuel is somewhere in the order of 5 cents per litre cheaper than regular unleaded, I think. I asked a couple of friends who are mechanics about whether I could put it in my lawnmower and they recommended against it

I thought I read or heard somewhere that grain-based fuel would require too much land to be given over to it to make it viable as a stand-alone solution. Personally I like the sound of hydrogen, but apparently it takes a bit of energy to create that too - I don't want to highjack Justin's thread, but does anyone know if that is true?

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

We've got it mixed with standard unleaded over here - this blended fuel is somewhere in the order of 5 cents per litre cheaper than regular unleaded, I think. I asked a couple of friends who are mechanics about whether I could put it in my lawnmower and they recommended against it

I thought I read or heard somewhere that grain-based fuel would require too much land to be given over to it to make it viable as a stand-alone solution. Personally I like the sound of hydrogen, but apparently it takes a bit of energy to create that too - I don't want to highjack Justin's thread, but does anyone know if that is true?

James.

Hi-jack away --- just keep with the basic "alternative fuels -- bogus or what?" feel of the thread.

Justin

Originally Posted by jaegerhund

Hi-jack away --- just keep with the basic "alternative fuels -- bogus or what?" feel of the thread.

Justin

Thanks Justin

James.

From what I understand, hydrogen is on its way to being feasible, but it's still in those initial stages of being too expensive to implement. I just see the race for better fuels as being like computers. At first they were big, expensive, and almost useless, but in the course of 30 years we have computers that fit in the palm of your hand, do everything but clean your house, and are exponentially more powerful.

It also helps that there is more focus being put on higher efficiency. I don't know if I've said it here, but it's my belief that car manufacturers will put their money where the consumer's concern is. Their concern up until a few years ago has been in making "safer" vehicles. Now that people "know" their cars are safe, people are concerned about fuel.

Isn't one of the beautiful things about fossil fuels that the energy expenditures are based on extraction (drilling , processing, etc) only -- as apposed to bio-fuels where energy has to spent in the creation of the fuel itself as well . I think it would be smarter to steer towards other energy sources --- solar, wind, ? ,etc where a ready-made energy is there for the harvesting.

Justin

I have to agree with some of you guys of the inefficiency of ethanol being a viable fuel source, and of course it's a political issue. I believe that the government subsidies in the agriculture aspect of making ethanol is money well wasted, and should be put to use in other "future fuel" markets.