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The biofuel grain needed to fill up an SUV would feed a person for a year

Comments

  • #2
    BendiBus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,074 ✭✭✭BendiBus


    I don't know much about it but I believe the big hope for the future is cellulosic ethanol. This is produced from plant waste, e.g. the part that isn't eaten (straw instead of the grain) or used (sawdust instead of timber).

    The current process is certainly not sustainable or in any way desirable (unless you're a corn farmer!)

    http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/18227/


  • #3
    probe
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,055 ✭✭✭probe


    BendiBus wrote: »
    I don't know much about it but I believe the big hope for the future is cellulosic ethanol. This is produced from plant waste, e.g. the part that isn't eaten (straw instead of the grain) or used (sawdust instead of timber).

    The current process is certainly not sustainable or in any way desirable (unless you're a corn farmer!)

    http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/18227/

    I've no problem with the conversion of waste plant material into energy. For example, I live < 1 km from an incinerator which provides my electricity, hot water, space heating and air conditioning. It chews up my waste, as well as waste wood from the timber industry etc. and is well managed. It has been running for decades and the life expectancy in this area is still probably the highest in Europe.

    In any event a plate of cellulose doesn't sound very appetising!

    .probe


  • #4
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 93,563 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    ethanol is fine if you don't mind a mix of 15% ethanol and 85% water, which some future fuel cells may run on

    anything else will require a lot of energy to increase the amount of energy

    better off with a non-polar fuel

    http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/id30.html
    2. Hydrated ethanol (alcohol which still has some water content, not 200 proof) can be used in a fuel cell system with no loss in efficiency compared with 100 % high-grade ethanol, opening the way for the use of ethanol that can be used at a lower cost.


  • #5
    10-10-20
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,062 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    Quite aptly, my gut feeling is that the efficient production of ethanol will be derived from digestive organisms, tailored by genetics to produce ethanol through a multi-stage process. Think of three stage catalytic converters working in an exothermic reaction to produce sugars from the cellulose, then further processing to form ethanol.

    Dunno - just my €0.1.


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