Top Ten Facts about Ethanol

Charlie_in_TX · Mar 23, 2006

Some of you look at this issue as an 'either/or' situation. Either we use bio-fuel or we don't. Either we use petro or we don't. The final answer will be somewhere between. Bio-fuels are not 'the answer' to our future energy needs but they are a part of the answer. We must use petro, coal, nuclear, hydro, wind and any other energy sorce that can be divised in the future.

You will notice I didn't say hydrogen. Hydrogen is not a fuel sorce. Hydrogen is a means of transporting energy. You story enery in hydrogen when you seperate it from oxygen. You recover that energy when you recombine the two.

_RaT_ · Mar 23, 2006

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

SkyPup · Mar 23, 2006

( The fact that catle can eat fermented food is rather nice...

Soundguy )

Gotta love fermented food, especially beer! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

SteveInMD · Mar 23, 2006

These are the first two items in the "top ten"...

1. Ethanol is listed as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

2. The cost of Reformulated Gasoline with ethanol will increase 3-6 cents per gallons compared to RFG with MTBE.

Just a note here - MTBE us WAY more toxic to people than enthanol!

tjkadar · Mar 23, 2006

Personally, I don't mind a little ethanol in my water. MTBE is a completely different story! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon · Mar 23, 2006

Charlie:

Iceland has filling stations selling Hydrogen! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

CarlGlas · Mar 23, 2006

I believe that the fuel of the future has already been discovered, but as long as money can be made from crude oil by products, it will be produced and we will buy it.

It's a vicious circle.

CarlGlas · Mar 24, 2006

( Consider your source before believing everything you read. Smells a bit like big oil / big business talking to me. Here is the background of the gentleman you quote (James S. White):

Environmental government relations consulting with expertise in matters regarding Gasoline Reformulation Issues

23 years at a major oil company with early retirement... responsibilities in the retail and distribution sectors of the business.

Former Technical ARCO Lobbyist on downstream oil industry issues. )

And.....

1966 to 1968 Communications Specialist, U. S. Marine Corps,
Republic of Vietnam and Camp Lejeune, NC /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Semper Fi

Charlie_in_TX · Mar 27, 2006

(
Charlie:

Iceland has filling stations selling Hydrogen! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )
That is my understanding also but where do they get the hydrogen from. They don't pump it out of the ground. They use the ground source heat (like in Yellowstone) to power plants that seperate hydrogen from oxygen (in water). They could just as easily use this thermal energy to generate electricity as seperate hydrogen.

I don't know if I have adiquitly explaned myself or not. I will give it another try. The thermo powered plants in Iceland seperate H2 from H2O. The H2 has gained energy which will be released when it is burned and reforms H2O. They could have just as easily charged batteries or spun steam turbine generators. They chose to generate H2.

SteveInMD · Mar 30, 2006

The vast majority of hydrogen is made (from water) and lots of electricity. So it's true, that around here anyway, you have to burn coal to make the hydrogen. Therefore the pollution point is simply moved from the car to electric power station.

I'm all for hydrogen powered vehicles, but I'm also for using nuclear power plants to generate the required electricity.