Bio diesel made from algae will probably be the best solution once america stops being bullied by lobbiest... Ethanol will not do but the problem is that the farmers producing this stuff have good lobbiest.

 

Ethanol from corn is not the answer. The energy balance for corn ethanol is barely positive, not enough to build a serious transportation system around it. With sugar cane and some other sources, ethanol looks a lot better. Sugar cane grows best in more tropical climates like Brazil (although it can also be grown in certain areas of the U.S.). The thing is, whenever ethanol is discussed people say that we can just import it from Brazil, but the reality is Brazil is never going to grow enough sugar cane to meet both their own demands as well as ours.

Cellulosic ethanol may be promising, but the reality is it's still just on the drawing board. It's untested and unproven, and may never amount to anything (at this point we just don't know). Planning for a future based on cellulosic ethanol is pure insanity at this point in time.

We are currently looking at a future where we will have a serious energy shortage. We need to start coming up with real alternatives and solutions. We really do not have time to waste on politically motivated pipe dreams (and that is what ethanol is right now). So, the OP is correct, ethanol is nothing but hype. In the future maybe something better will come of it, but right now I would not count on it. There are more promising avenues for us to explore.

 

I quite agree. I think the major error (encouraged by quick fix politicians) is thinking there is a single source fuel, as oil is. Pump it from the ground, or grow it. In fact, it may be a mix of sources, hybridization of fuel sources, if you will.

Algae actually is more an ethanol source than it is biodiesel, and tho it seems to be an unlimited source of fuel, in fact it does require its own conditions to grow just as sugar (cane) which is tropical, subtropical, and wheat and corn which is mid-latitude. Algae which seems to be limitless is in fact under stress in some parts of the planet.

centrider

 

Sorry, but algae is more BIODIESEL than ethonol. Here is a good link on how it can be done:

http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html

 

I'm for ethanol, but it needs to be done in a more sustainable way.

Switchgrass is better than corn-based grain alchol. I see a future what grass clippings are used to power the lawn mowers that cut it.

Increased water usage is a concern - it will be scarce in areas like D/FW in the coming decades without factoring E85.

 

I've included links to some interesting articles about ethanol production. I hope you find them useful!

Dr. Nancy Ho at Purdue University developed modified yeast so it could digest xylose.

cellulosic materials contain two major sugars, glucose and xylose, which cannot both be fermented into ethanol by natural Saccharomyces yeast, the microorganism used by industry to produce ethanol

The Purdue researchers altered the genetic structure of the yeast so that it now contains three additional genes that make it possible to simultaneously convert glucose and xylose to ethanol. The ability to ferment xylose increases the yield of ethanol from straw by about 40 percent. Being able to simultaneously ferment glucose and xylose is important because both sugars are found together in agricultural residues, Ho said.

Zfacts has a good article on Cellulose Ethanol and talks about Celunol developing a 55-million gallon ethanol production facility in Jennings, Louisiana.



Making Ethanol from Straw is an interesting article that discusses the pros and cons of genetically engineered yeast used in this process.

 

Thanks, Liviv,

I (as you surmized from my reply) was not aware of the possibility of using algae for a biodiesel.

In an addition to allowing our views to be read, these forums also teach.

Thanks,

Centrider

 

Long term, I think straight vegetable oil will work better than any of the alcohol solutions. Sugar cane needs tropic or sub-tropic conditions. Rapeseed or Canola can be grown in Canada. Rapeseed can be grown in many conditions. In the Netherlands, it's the first crop that they plant on land that's been recovered from the ocean.

Straight Vegetable Oil can be used in diesel engines with only minor modifications

http://www.elsbett.com/us/elsbett-co...-and-vans.html

http://www.greasecar.com/

Biodiesel is convenient because it can be used in all existing diesel engines, but it still requires 15% alcohol. I think that straight vegetable oil is a better long term solution. Vegetable oil has a much better energy budget (energy from fuel/energy required to produce fuel) than alcohol.

Waste Vegetable Oil or WVO is oil that's already been used for something (normally frying food). It can be used, but there is some debate about long term engine problems from contamination (water from the food, food particles, oil breakdown from too high cooking temperatures...).

I'm planning to buy a TCH or MMH sometime in the next few months, but what I'd <em>really</em> like is a diesel-electric hybrid that can burn SVO.

Trivia: Almost all non-nuclear submarines are diesel-electric hybrids.

 

No problem. I was amazaed at the study myself... but it's not well known. I have yet to see a study on ethanol as comprehensive. I think algae is a win/win biofuel. It thrives in area sparsely populated and loves to consume waste, and produces more fuel per pound than any other biofuel that I'm aware of.

 

Not exactly true, the real reason you are seeing a huge increase in FlexFuel vehicles has more to do with the contrived way that the EPA does the mileage ratings for CAFE purposes. A flexFuel vehicle gets an artificailly higher MPG rating even if the vehicle will never be run on Ethanol. Once this contrived way of rating a flexfuel vehicle disappears, the number of FlexFuel vehicles being developed will diminish. That is fine by me, because selling a Tahoe that is FlexFuel does noting to lessen our usage of foregin oil as there is no way a soccer mom will look for E85 and buy it when it costs more than regular unleaded and gets substancially worse economy.