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Most U.S. energy practitioners readily agree that a successful nationwide energy program for the next few decades consists of a combination of conservation, fossil fuels, clean coal, and multiple forms of renewable energy. While many experts are deeply compassionate in this debate, there are some lessons to be learned from other parts of the world. Take for example Brazil's 30-year ethanol success story.
After nearly three decades, Brazil has succeeded in developing a cost-effective alternative to gasoline. Currently Brazil is the second largest producer of ethanol in the world (second only to the U.S.). And according to the World Bank, estimated production cost is approximately $1.00/gal compared to $1.50 for the rest of the world.
Ethanol accounts for over 40 percent of the total motor fuel consumed in Brazil (compared to three percent in the U.S.). Brazil has approximately 23 million autos compared to more than 200 million in the U.S. Brazil says its ethanol exports will likely double from $600 million in 2005 to $1.3 billion in 2010. And since ethanol releases less carbon dioxide than fossil fuels, this will help Brazil and other countries meet their obligation under the Kyoto Protocol.
In 1970, they found themselves in a precarious position: the price of sugar cane was going down and the price of oil going up. They import the bulk of their oil (currently 16th on the world's oil producers). Brazilians realized they had to take drastic measures to provide stability, economic growth and a compelling standard of living.
Let's drill down and take a closer look at why (and how) Brazil embarked on such a strategy and what factors contributed to their overall success.
Commonly accepted factors in Brazil's success in ethanol are:
Sugar cane versus corn -- sugar cane produces more ethanol pound-for-pound than corn.
Tropical climate -- Brazil grows more sugar cane per acre than Iowa grows corn. Brazil can grow sugar cane year-round while corn production in the Midwest is hampered by cold winter weather. Planting sugar cane in an equatorial habitat is a definite advantage in the competition to raise economical fuel. With an annual rainfall of 40 to 60 inches and the average annual temperature of 65 to 70 degrees F (depending on region), Brazil has ideal growing conditions for sugar cane.
Location of processing plants -- one of the first things Brazil did was to build their processing plants very close to the sugar cane field thereby reducing transportation cost.
Brazil has the forethought to develop two tools: one is the manufacturing of automobiles that can run on gasoline or ethanol (seven out of every 10 new cars is flex fuel); and two, fueling stations that can pump either ethanol or gasoline.
Government vision and leadership as the Brazilian government created a long-term vision for energy independence and provided the leadership to effect the desired outcome.
The Brazilian government implemented a broad marketing campaign to persuade automobile manufacturers, sugar cane producers, investors and the Brazilian people to understand and support the national campaign. The overwhelming buy-in from the participants exceeded expectations. The campaign was slow to start but picked up support and speed as it demonstrated their ability to exceed their goals.
One of the other breakthrough decisions in Brazil was the decision to power their sugar refineries with bagasse, the fibrous material left over after the raw sugar cane is pressed. By burning sugar cane bagasse to power their refining machinery, they became self sufficient energy-wise but also created a byproduct that can lower the production cost of the ethanol (in this case they used bagasse to power their electric generators) The sugar cane processors were able to sell the excess electricity back to the national grid. Experts estimated that for every 600 megawatts created from burning bagasse, they sold back another 100 megawatts to the national grid.
All of this progress didn't just happen -- it evolved. In the mid-seventies under the oil embargo, OPEC threatened to withhold crude oil from the market to drive up the prices. This also occurred simultaneously with a sharp fall of sugar prices on the worldwide market. Brazil's leaders recognized they must maintain control of their own future, and began implementing a wide-scale plan to move away from fossil fuels. In 1975, the National Alcohol Program was implemented to support the ethanol initiative. The first step was to increase the number of distilleries by offering low interest loans for construction.
The next step in transforming Brazil's foreign oil dependency was to start the mass production of flex cars -- cars that could run on ethanol and/or gasoline. Volkswagen, GM, and Toyota were major first movers. Taxi drivers and fleet managers were incented to convert. Government vehicles were converted. As a result of this very proactive national policy, by 1988, a stunning 90 percent of new car sales in Brazil were ethanol-powered.
It must be said that ethanol production is not without its disadvantages. The choice of feedstock, whether corn, sugar cane or other, is a complicated issue. Land utilization is a much-debated topic and government subsidies always are a source of consternation for all energy sources. As many energy experts have become painfully aware, all forms of energy are going to have their pros and cons.
What must the U.S. do to reach similar success?
Government leadership, direction and vision. President Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu must articulate and communicate the details of a strong go-forward strategy that defines the details of the administration's energy policy. President Obama within his first six months in office should clearly advocate a strong position in creating (finally) a comprehensive energy policy for fossil fuels, clean coal, nuclear, and all forms of renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal). This well thought-out position must be aimed at getting the man on Main Street to understand and buy into the concept and actively support such a program. Any energy program must have decisive action with readily agreeable milestones. Each U.S. taxpayer needs to notify their respective political representatives about their thoughts, ideas and opinions relative to the U.S. energy policy.
Funding for the Obama energy policy should come from a combination of state and federal funds as well as private investors. It may well be prudent to encourage and accept investment from foreign companies. For example, companies like Vestas, Gamesa, Iberdola and Alstom either already have U.S. operations or are considering same. Even Wall Street must be convinced there is an opportunity for strong financial gains.
Technology. R & D colleges and universities, think tanks, etc., must be encouraged and incented to initiate and continue the discovery of new technology. Some of these efforts will be successful; some won't. Within the next decade we should see next generation technology in wind, solar, coal, biomass, etc. Some areas of advancement will progress faster than others.
Communication. As noted in Brazil's success, a massive and comprehensive communication plan must clearly communicate to leaders in the industry, government, research, academia, taxpayers and investors on what the Energy Policy is, what we are doing to improve our energy crises and how we measure and report our success.
Feedstock Diversity. The U.S. should promote a variety of feedstock including corn, switch grass and sugar cane.
Ethanol may not be the sole solution for our energy crises, but surely the U.S. can take advantage of lessons learned elsewhere in the world to forge a new strategy for clean, renewable, affordable energy. Americans have always responded when a crisis looms at the front door. Americans responded to the challenges during World War II, putting a man on the moon, the Manhattan Project, etc. And we will again. It's time to overcome the stranglehold of fossil fuels (and the auto manufacturers) and start moving toward a cleaner, cost-effective energy program.
For information on purchasing reprints of this article, contact Tim Tobeck ttobeck@energycentral.com. Copyright 2010 CyberTech, Inc.
Not to nit-pick but you state, "One of the other breakthrough decisions in Brazil was the decision to power their sugar refineries with bagasse, the fibrous material left over after the raw sugar cane is pressed." I fail to see how this can be considered to be a breakthrough. As a youngster I visited one of the larger sugar mills in northern Argentina and bagasse was the fuel of choice, as I am sure was the case in most other sugar mills throughout the world.
A very true article and deserving of thought.
Len Gould 5.6.09
Agreed, Brazil's switch to ethanol is a good example of how to run an energy switch program given the options available to Brazil at the time and their climate, but for the US, or any country in a temperate climate, farmed bio-mass based energy is NOT a solution. Not now, not ever. Photosynthesis is simply too inefficient.
Fred Linn 5.13.09
---------"If They Can Do It, Then Why Can't We? "---------------
Because the USA has abondoned the values that built this country.
The USA has become a nation of whiners, complainers, and political pundit addicts. The only motivation left seems to be self interest, windfall profits, fruad, greed, arrogant conciet and persuit of an easy buck.
Americans have come to expect someone else to do their thnking for them, instead of mastering the art of independent thinking and hard work that their grandparents used. Americans used to roll up their sleeves and get things done. No matter WHAT the obstacles were. Need a canal in Panama? We built a canal in Panama. So what if the French already tried and failed. We aren't French. Facist dictators need their butt kicked, we kicked their butt! After Pearl Harbor, while his other officers were in jubilation, Admiral Yamamoto said "I fear we have awakened the sleeping tiger." Admiral Yamamoto was right.
So where are the Americans that could do things no one else could do. Where are the Americans who could see a job that needed to be done, and went out and did it. Where are the Americans that took risks, could think on their feet, and again and again defied the odds, and did what everyone else said couldn't be done?
Fred Linn 5.13.09
-------------"Not now, not ever. Photosynthesis is simply too inefficient. "------------
Photosynthesis has been efficient enough to sustain life on planet earth for 4.5 billion years. If humans are so wasteful and inefficient that they can not or will not adapt to their environment then they will become extinct. It has always been that way, and it will always be that way. Species that do not adapt, die.
It does look more and more like if humans become extinct, they will have one unique claim to fame however. Humans will be the first and only species to become extinct due to conditions of their own creation.
Paul Stevens 5.13.09
Len, agree that biomass is not likely (barring some remarkable breakthrough) the solution to US energy (transportation) needs, but there is no reason something similar couldn't happen with electrical generation.
The US already has a large infrastructure of nuclear capability and knowledge. A Government supported initiative to select two reactor designs for large and small or medium scale needs, government backed loans to develop a manufacturing facility, guarantees of access to any company wanting to build a plant, and a fast track process to move licensing forward and restrict nuisance lawsuits would do wonders for both the economy and also social needs via lower electrical prices. If the same effort was done in parallel with a transmission build out, you would have your energy renaissance.
And that would be equivalent to what Brazil did. Now, I don't know exactly how many States rights my suggestion steps on, but something like this is likely to be required eventually. Unfortunately it is all too likley that it won't occur until massive misery has been triggered by brownouts, blackouts and awe inspiring energy bill hikes.
Paul Stevens
Len Gould 5.14.09
Fred Linn: "Humans will be the first and only species to become extinct due to conditions of their own creation." -- Not exactly, in fact every yeast culture ever started in a beer vat continues to expand until the alcohol they produce kills them off. It's simply natural process at work. Humans will be very exceptional if they avoid this. Are humans smarter than yeast?
Anyone interested in the details of why installing 1 acre of solar thermal electrical generation in Iowa and using battery-electric autos is smarter than farming 250 to 1000 acres of good farmland for corn ethanol could read my posts to this thread at EPA Seeks Comments on 15% Ethanol Blend - the Oil Drum
Fred Linn 5.14.09
Len--- "The Oil Drum"----now THERE is an impartial, unbiased forum. The purpose of which is an advertising vehicle to sell petroleum investments.
Corn is not the only source of ethanol. Ethanol can be made from any plant material at all. Including cellulose. It is not a new or untried process. We've been able to do it for over 100 years. It is called Fischer-Tropsch process, and it has been around since 1924. Germany used F-T to produce most their energy needs during WW2 after the military defeat in North Africa and the Allied bombing of Ploesti. This was in conjunction with at least 20 plants in Germany and 3 in Italy that produced ethanol from wood using the Scholler process that were known to Allied intelligence. The US built a large plant in Wisconsin to produce ethanol from wood using the Scholler process, as a raw material to produce butadiene, artificial rubber. The Scholler process was used widely to produce ethanol and methanol in commercial quantities prior to the end of WW1 in both Germany, and the US. It is still used today as an integral part of pulp making in paper manufacture. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2008/08/pulp-and-paper-industry-poised-to-take-center-stage-in-global-bioenergy-arena-53239
PV solar cells are expensive to manufacture. Plants cost little to nothing. Start with a burned over field. By the end of one season you'll have hundreds of tons of cellulosic plant material. A typical forest produces 2000 to 3000 tons of pulp-able wood per acre when thinned (depending on predominant species) when thinned to manage growth in a managed timber stand. At yields of about 70 gallons per ton of ethanol, that means about 140,000 to 210,000 per acre. And that does not count all the other products we make from trees, from lumber to clothing, from paper to food. Food grows on trees, from nuts to fruits.
Range Fuels is currently constructing a plant in Soperton GA that will eventually produce 100 million gallons/yr of ethanol from wood waste generated by logging and milling waste.
Even the ancient Egyptians knew how to produce methanol(wood alcohol) by pyrolysis. They used methanol in the mummification process.
The numbers you present as "facts" are hopelessly foolish. You make no attempt to trace any sort of energy pathways. Wikipedia shows an 8% efficiency for sugar cane---and not even counting the fact that bagasse burned to produce the ethanol in the distillation process produces a 20% power surplus that is fed into the electrical grid. Corn produces DDG, high grade, high protein animal feed as well as ethanol. Corn produces food AND fuel, PV cells do not.
Final fact. With biofuels, we use all of our current vehicles and infrastructure with little or no modification whatever. Just switch fuels. Any internal combustion engine can use biofuels. Flex Fuel vehicles can use E85 or gasoline in any combination, and have been in production for many years. There are about 8 million flex fuel vehicles on the road right now. Diesel engines can use biodiesel with no modification whatever. And they run so clean that when biodiesel is made from previously used oils it gives off the odor of the french fries or coffee the oil came from. It burns so cleanly you can see the difference immediately.
Using biofuels, you can drive from Kansas City to Denver in 10 hours or less. I've done it many times. Using the advertised range and recharging times I've seen for electric vehicles, it would take 3 days. Most people I know don't want to take 3 days to get from Kansas City to Denver.
Fred Linn 5.14.09
Kansas City to Denver, one stop for fuel at Bosselman's in Salina, Kansas.
Biofuel for the van, steak and baked potato with sour cream and cheese for me. The steak, sour cream and cheese were no doubt produced from cattle fed on DDG, from which the ethanol came from. The butter and yeast to make the dinner rolls on the side probably came from the same source.
Fred Linn 5.14.09
UMMM---probably the milk and ice cream on the pie for desert, too.
Ferdinand E. Banks 5.15.09
Paul Stevens, I think that you should take a look at the first comment of Fred Linn. You see, Americans don't want an energy renaissance. If they wanted one it would be a simple matter to tell them how easy it is to get one. I don't know how many engineers and others I have told how (relatively) easy it was for the US to crank up its production apparatus at the beginning of WW2, only to hear that it could never be done again because of this or that or something or....or maybe it would interfere with their enjoyment of the midday soap operas on TV.
The author of this article talks about funding for the Obama energy policy. I prefer Mr O. to the man who apparently accepted 100 years of war to win a war that actually was won 5 or 6 years; and moreover - after some initial hesitation - I can buy the new president's macroeconomic policy, but as for funding his energy policy, I'm afraid that I have to ask what's the point. I will admit however that the author is correct when he mentions "communication" as a necessary part of (an optimal) energy program, because maybe, in the long run, the American people can be made to understand what is necessary in order to win this thing,
Len Gould 5.19.09
Fred Linn:"Wikipedia shows an 8% efficiency for sugar cane" -- Have you a reference link?
[QUOTE=Wikipedia Sugarcane cultivation requires a tropical or subtropical climate, with a minimum of 600 mm (24 in) of annual moisture. It is one of the most efficient photosynthesizers in the plant kingdom. It is a C-4 plant, able to convert up to 2 percent of incident solar energy into biomass.[citation needed] .......
Per hectare per year, the biomass produced corresponds to 0.27 TJ. This is equivalent to 0.86 W per square meter. Assuming an average insolation of 225 W per square meter, the photosynthetic efficiency of sugar cane is 0.38%.
The 135 kg of sucrose found in 1 ton of b&c are transformed into 70 liters of ethanol with a combustion energy of 1.7 GJ. The practical sucrose-ethanol conversion efficiency is, therefore, 76% (compare with the theoretical 97%).
One hectare of sugar cane yields 4000 liters of ethanol per year (without any additional energy input because the bagasse produced exceeds the amount needed to distill the final product). This however does not include the energy used in tilling, transportation, and so on. Thus, the solar energy-to-ethanol conversion efficiency is 0.13%.[/QUOTE]
(Also, not sure why they're using 225 w/sq m, as I understand it that figure should be 1000 w/sq m.)
Len Gould 5.19.09
Also
1) are you claiming that trees in Georgia are more efficient photosynthesizers than sugar cane in Brazil? Reference please?
2) You're likely to find that the Fischer-Tropsch process will dramatically disappoint you as a source of engine fuels from bio-mass, efficiency-wise (either too much methane or too much waxes produced). Hence the frantic search for any economical combination of enzymes which might break down cellulose and convert a fraction of it to sugars for fermenting.
Fred Linn 5.19.09
Sugar Cane grows JUST fine in many areas of the US. Sugar beets have similar yields and grow in most of the continental US----and Alaska too.
Why are you so worried about efficiency? How much are you paying for sunlight? It is free. Plants will grow whether we use them or not. If not sugar cane, beets, corn or something else, then weeds. If we don't clear out dead wood and duff from forests, nature will, with fires. A lesson we learned the hard way by trying to put out forest fires for almost 100 years. Why not use the forest litter to fuel our vehicles? In the natural energy cycle it works out to exactly the same result as forest fires.
The Germans used Fischer-Tropsch process in WW2 to produce synthetic and biofuels from coal and wood. They powered everything from submarines to panzer tanks(heavier and faster than anything the allies had) to V1 and V2 rockets, even the Me 262 Swallow--the world's first operational jet fighter. South Africa has been using F-T for the last 30 years to produce jet fuel from coal. Wood is a more efficient feedstock----it is already hydrocarbons. F-T can produce anything from methanol to cetanes by altering heat, pressure and catalyst beds.
Using ethanol, we can double the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines. Watch the Indianapolis 500 Sunday, May 24 at 1 PM CDT to see what ethanol as a fuel can do. All Indy League race cars run on 100% ethanol. if Indy race cars can use ethanol to hit speeds of 240 mph on the straights---it is no trick to be able to use ethanol to drive cars 65 mph down a highway.
Methane is a fuel also. It is widely used and requires no special equipment or modifications to use. It is exactly the same as methane used by your kitchen stove or water heater. Methane is also easily converted into a myriad of other products. Petroleum refining also produces waxes---why do you think they call it "petroleum jelly"? It is a wax/gel that builds up on piston shafts on all those dipper pumps you see bobbing up and down in an oilfield.
---------" Hence the frantic search for any economical combination of enzymes which might break down cellulose and convert a fraction of it to sugars for fermenting. "-----------------
The frantic search is for a proprietary process that can be patented, monopolized and sold at large profits-----not the ability to produce fuels. We can already do that, and have been able to for a long time.
Len Gould 5.20.09
Fred: "Why are you so worried about efficiency?,, It is free." -- Ah, perhaps the sunlight itself, but definitely not the manmade recovery systems.
"If we don't clear out dead wood and duff from forests," -- Any estimates on how much of the resulting energy gained will be spent on the recovery process? I have some educated guesses, having mis-spent part of my youth in mechanized logging operations. You'll be fortunate to break even.
F-T cannot possibly be more efficient than simply burning the material to make electricity in a steam turbine, then using the electricity in a battery vehicle, and that's far less efficient (and less economical) than solar-thermal or PV. Skip the antique technology and get with the batteries, or better yet uCaps. When TZero can do 280 miles on a charge with a sports car that will blow the doors off a Corvette, it's time to look.
Len Gould 5.20.09
Fred: BTW, re sugar cane, let me repeat "the photosynthetic efficiency of sugar cane is 0.38%" NOT your claimed 8%.
Fred Linn 5.20.09
---------"Any estimates on how much of the resulting energy gained will be spent on the recovery process? I have some educated guesses, having mis-spent part of my youth in mechanized logging operations. You'll be fortunate to break even. "-------
According to USDA, the average amount of pulpable wood per acre culled to thin managed timber lots averages 2,000 to 3,000 tons per acre. This is to allow remaining trees to grow tall and straight, faster due to less competition for space, light and nutrients.
-------------"Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (a catalytic process to synthesize hydrocarbons and their oxygen derivatives by the controlled reaction of hydrogen and carbon monoxide). Fischer-Tropsch and other synthetic procedures take synthesis gas from wood and through the use of catalysts could get yields that are largely ethanol. Although this gasification technology is also being investigated for other fuels such as diesel, gasoline, and mixtures of ethanol and higher alcohols, ethanol yield in itself could be increased to over 100 gal (378.5 L) per dry ton and potentially much more. This would be a higher yield than ethanol from corn grain, which is about 98 gal (371 L) per ton."-----------[1]
Currently yields have been demonstrated to be about 70 gallons per ton. You are looking at possible revenues of $140,000 to $210,000 per acre of timber culls. This is wood that is being stacked and burned currently to reduce loses from fire and insect damage. Decreasing demand for paper due to increasing media and communication use of electronic data transfer is increasing this practice.
Ethanol was made commercially from "black liquor" using the Scholler process over 100 years ago in the US and Germany. During WW2 the same process was used in the US, Germany, Italy, Japan, Manchuria, and Korea to produce ethanol. Mainly as a feedstock to produce butadiene, artificial rubber.
-------"F-T cannot possibly be more efficient than simply burning the material to make electricity in a steam turbine, then using the electricity in a battery vehicle, ..............."-----------------
There ARE no battery powered vehicles. There are however millions of diesel internal combustion engines on the road right now. Diesel internal combustion engines can use biodiesel with no modification at all. F-T can produce cetanes (diesel fuel). Flex Fuel vehicles can use E85(85% ethanol) as well as petroleum gasoline, in any combination, simply fill up with whatever is available. Flex Fuel vehicles require no retooling, cost the same to build and buy as conventional petroleum only vehicles and have been in production for about 20 years. There are about 8 million Flex Fuel vehicles on the road in the US alone right now. About 20 million in Brazil. Mandating that all new cars sold in the US be Flex Fuel capable would cost far less than airbags and seat belts. The EU is already moving in this direction.
--------" Skip the antique technology and get with the batteries, or better yet uCaps."--------------
Internal combustion engines are the current technology...........and it is unlikely to be surpassed by pie in the sky BEV technology that does not even come close to being able to match the capabilities that are common to IC vehicles. Let alone match them on a cost and infrastructure basis. If your exotic BEV breaks down, where are you going to get it fixed? Where are you going to find service stations to recharge?
---------" When TZero can do 280 miles on a charge with a sports car that will blow the doors off a Corvette, it's time to look. "----------------
When I see a BEV that can run a long distance race with performance that can match internal combustion, I'll take a look.
The fastest, most advanced race cars in the world will be racing in the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24. Every one of them will be running on 100% ethanol. No battery powered vehicles.
You can drive from Kansas City to Denver in about 10 hours using E85, I've done it many times. Even with the most glowing of press releases I've seen of experimental BEVs it would take 3 days with recharging times.
----------" Fred: BTW, re sugar cane, let me repeat "the photosynthetic efficiency of sugar cane is 0.38%" NOT your claimed 8%. "--------
Substitute power input from wind, solar, hydro or any other renewable energy source(including biomass which these plants are situated perfectly to have in abundance already) and the resulting fuels produced will be 100% solar energy stored in chemical form.
Herschel Specter 5.20.09
Many years ago Scientific American ( I wish I could give you an exact reference) reported on a most interesting experiment conducted by the US Forest Service. They made a detailed energy balance in a section of a forest, measuring the solar insolation over a year and practically counting every leaf . Their results showed that these trees absorbed about one percent of the solar energy. However about 90% of this energy went into the trees' "house load" like moving water from the roots to the leafs near the top of the tree. The other 10% became new biomass. So about 0.1% of the incident solar energy is left as a potential energy source...much like the figure Mr.Gould has presented. However, there is a very simple way to get an upper bound on the usable solar energy for biomass. Divide the energy content of the ethanol produced per acre by the annual solar energy that impinged on an acre where the ethanol comes from. This is an upper bound because it does not subtract all the input energy into growing and processing the biomass-to-ethanol, which is substantial.
Herschel Specter
Fred Linn 5.21.09
It does not matter what percentage of incident solar energy is converted by plants into whatever. The solar energy is there whether we use it or not.
Here is the long and short of it. Man is a living organism, the same as all living organisms. Man depends on his environment to live, the same as all living organisms. Plants are part of the cycle of life. Plants take in CO2 and give off oxygen. Humans and animals take in oxygen and give off CO2. Humans are totally dependent on plants for both food and breath. Solar PV cells are fine, but they won't give you air to breathe. Plants do. Over and over and over again. You cann't eat solar PV cells. You cann't wear solar PV cells.
Len Gould 5.21.09
Fred: It matters if you propose planting the necessary (38,000 w/gal x 50 gal/bbl x 20,000,000 bbl/day x 365 days/yr) / (.55 w / sq meter x 5 hr/day x 4047 sq m / acre x 365 days / yr) = 13.87 x 10^15 / 4.06 x 10^6 = 3.42 x 10^9 acres of plantation biomass required to substitute for present petroleum usage in US. Note: Area of USA = 3,536,278 sq miles x 640 acres = 2.26 x 10^9 acres
Good luck with that project there, eh? As a smart person has said, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll wind up somewhere else" -- Yogi Bera of course.
Fred Linn 5.21.09
Len, we have plenty of forests. At 150,000 to 250,000 gallons of ethanol per acre we can produce all we need. All we have to do is make sure that we replace what we use. So long as we do that, we will always have forests.
Secondly, who says plants have to grow on land?
Plant oils can run in diesel engines just fine. They do not even need to be refined. They are put through a process called transesterification, similar to soap making. The very first diesel engine Rudolf Diesel built in 1893 ran on peanut oil. Plant oil is so efficient compared to petroleum that one gallon of plant oil replaces the need to produce 2.3 gallons of petroleum. All current diesel engines can run biodiesel with no modification. Biodiesel can be made from algae with yields of 30,000 to 50,000 gallons per acre. It is being done right now. PetroSun already has a plant open since last year in Rio Hondo TX, with a capacity to produce 4.4 million gallons per year of biodiesel.
Range Fuels is set to open a plant in Soperton GA later this year or early next year with a final production capacity of 100 million gallons per year of ethanol using F-T process from wood waste from logging and milling operations.
The Swedish company Chemrec already has several cellulosic ethanol plants running in conjunction with paper and pulp operations.
Several US companies have pilot and demonstration plants in operation or under construction---POET in South Dakota, to make ethanol from corn cobs, Verenium is making 20 million gallons per year from sugar cane bagasse, Blue Fire to make 19 million gal./yr from municipal waste.
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/01/business/fi-ethanol1 (old press release---plant is almost complete and under test runs now)
http://www.verenium.com/cellulosic-ethanol.asp (in production now)
Any conventional petroleum gasoline car can use up to 20% ethanol blend with no problem, most high pollution market areas now require a 10% blend now to reduce pollution. Many European countries have required a 20% blend for about 70 years to reduce oil imports. Flex Fuel vehicles can use E85(85% ethanol) or gasoline in any combination. Flex Fuel vehicles have been in production for about 20 years and there are currently about 8 million on the road now in the US.
As Yogi also said, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings."
I think one day, people will saying about petroleum something else Yogi had to say, "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded."
