Since we have emission standards, it probably won't increase lung disease or cancer. But it also may not decrease the diseases. That is not the point in using ethanol. Cutting down on Oil use is the reason one looks into ethanol, solar, wind, coal etc,
The reason some countries have made ethanol madatory is becaues it is re-newable and cleaner burning when compared to oil.
We should use subsidies to help out for finding and using re-newable sources of all kinds. But lets try to slow down the subsidies to the middle-eastern oil tycoons.
The price of oil is the main reason of the high costs of most foods.
Ethanol has been around for years. We have been able to buy it for years for our cars. And finally, in our area every major gas company has gone 100%. That is all we can buy. And we thank them for that. Have been asking and wanting that for close to 10 years. Took high oil prices to get it though.
As far as corn. Corn will be a very small part of ethanol in the near future. To many other things and better things to use.
The price of oil and gas, along with floods and droughts will have the major impacts on our food prices. Ethanol is a part of the whole package.
There was ethanol used and stations that offered ethanol when oil was under $20 a barrell. Just more demand now that oil is over $100.
Biofuels should be a major part of our future has it has been a part in the resent past. It can be a lower cost, re-newable, cleaner fuel for now and into the future.
Untill we work and find ways to do something better. Biofuels was one of the anrtest and best things to happen over the past 20 or so years. Just wasn't push quick enough and far enough. We waited untill oil was over $100.
As usuall many problems to figure out. Nothing new in that.
I am like many 100% behind the biofuels untill we come up with something better. Wish we could stop using oil tommorrow and be able to use 100% biofuels untill better stuff comes along. But, I believe the most we can use now is 20% mixture. So we are now using 10% to 15% mixture.
Lets hope the future is good for all.
----- Origina
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2008 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: [RT] Just some water, gas, ethanol stuff for a sunday read
According to what I have read, (sources available on request), bio fuels are no safer for the environment and will likely increase the rates of lung disease and cancer.
Without subsidies, it would cost $4.50 a gallon to produce and that does not include the huge increases in grains if we were to do a major switch to bio fuels.
The affects on our foodstuffs will be even more dramatic as grain and meat products sail higher and higher due to grain being syphoned off for fuel.
In summary, what ethanol is, is a higher cost product that pollutes at least as bad as fossil fuels and costs more to produce plus raises food prices at every level. Farmers love it of course but I know many of them and they are planning for a short term spike in prices because they tell me that not even in America can government be so stupid as to believe bio fuels are anything less than a whole new set of problems at a higher cost to the people.
Bob
On Sun, Jul 20, 2008 at 11:42 AM, LB <
nsite@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
If we can figure a way to go all ethanol or at least 50-50. Things would be better for all. Now in our area we are all E-85 and working great.
Some perspective on water use
Here are some numbers on water use taken from the US Geological survey and from the US Environmental Protection Agency fondly known as the EPA. The Anti-ethanol crowd loves to pound us on water usage-----here are some facts/comparisons on water usage in US.
>62,000 gallons of water per ton of manufactured steel
>39,090 gallons of water to manufacture a new car/tires.
>28,100 gallons to process a ton of beet sugar
>1,500 gallons to process a barrel of beer (I've heard a lot of good reports about this beverage and may have to try it sometime)
>107,000 gallons used in the average home each year
>24 gallons used to produce a pound of plastic
>101 gallons to produce a pound of cotton
>300 million gallons used each day to print US newspapers---150 gallon per Sunday paper
>3 gallons of water used per gallon of ethanol produced.
Also, In aggregate, corn returns more moisture to the atmosphere than it withdraws from ground and surface water. The entire US corn crop is returning nearly 290 billion gallons of water per day to the atmosphere through transpiration. (The process by which water vapor escapes from the living plant, principally the leaves, and enters the atmosphere.)
Comparing Energy to Energy
Gasoline
Did you know it takes 23 per cent more fossil energy to create a gallon of gasoline than that gallon of gasoline itself contains?
Ethanol
Did you know it takes 22 per cent less fossil energy to create an equivalent amount of energy in ethanol? An added plus is that the higher octane in ethanol allows it to burn more completely, therefore cleaner.
In either case, it is all about converting one form of energy to another that is useable and in demand in the market place.