News, How far can you drive on a bushel of corn?
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MossRoad
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I read somewhere that it takes 135,000 BTUs to convert a bushel of corn into 70,000 BTUs of energy like ethenol, which equates to a 50% loss of energy. Another study said 29% loss of energy when converting corn to ethenol. Lots of varying figures, but the common theme seems to be it costs more BTUs to make ethenol than its worth. However, one article came up with an idea I thought was a better solution than turning corn into ethenol. In a nutshell, it said: "Not considering other value-added products, it is energetically more efficient to burn shelled corn for heating fuel and use natural gas for motor fuel than it is to use the corn and gas to make ethanol for motor fuel." Here's the source. If the information was accurate, this seems like the way to go VS large scale ethenol production. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Gatorboy
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<font color="blue">( Is this a good idea or not? ) </font>
NOT!
NOT!
JoeR
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I don't care how much energy it takes to convert it as long as we don't have to buy oil from countries that hate us. If it makes us less dependent on countries like Argentina and Iran, etc... I am all for it.
Gatorboy
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<font color="blue"> ( I don't care how much energy it takes to convert it as long as we don't have to buy oil from countries that hate us. If it makes us less dependent on countries like Argentina and Iran, etc... I am all for it. ) </font>
We aren't really dependent on other countries. They have the oil, we want the oil -- the oil does them no good unless they can sell it.
Gas prices would go down dramatically if all these different blends of gas didn't have to be created -- all this added cost for no benefit.
We aren't really dependent on other countries. They have the oil, we want the oil -- the oil does them no good unless they can sell it.
Gas prices would go down dramatically if all these different blends of gas didn't have to be created -- all this added cost for no benefit.
First of ethanol does have more energy than it takes to make, excluding the sunlight that shines on a corn field. This process is getting more efficient.
Second it not a matter of btu but cost. Coal is the cheapest form of energy but doesn't work very good in a engine. Ethanol is one way of taking cheap energy and make a higher quality one that we can use.
Third oil is not going to last for ever. Yes we have decades maybe even a century of oil, but it will run out. The change over will take decades to find replacements. Renewable fuel are starting to become available but can only replace a small percent of oil right now.
Second it not a matter of btu but cost. Coal is the cheapest form of energy but doesn't work very good in a engine. Ethanol is one way of taking cheap energy and make a higher quality one that we can use.
Third oil is not going to last for ever. Yes we have decades maybe even a century of oil, but it will run out. The change over will take decades to find replacements. Renewable fuel are starting to become available but can only replace a small percent of oil right now.
Egon
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How far can you drive on a bushel of corn?
I think it may all depend on how thin you can spread the corn on the road. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I think it may all depend on how thin you can spread the corn on the road. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
jinman
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</font><font color="blue" class="small">( How far can you drive on a bushel of corn?
I think it may all depend on how thin you can spread the corn on the road. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
)</font>
...or how hungry that horse pulling your buggy and following the corn trail is. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I think it may all depend on how thin you can spread the corn on the road. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
)</font>
...or how hungry that horse pulling your buggy and following the corn trail is. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
JJT
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When corn is turned into alcohol you have a by-product that is used as animal feed. I support corn to fuel 100%, anything we can do to reduce our oil dependency is a good thing.