I am jumping in and then out. Theoretically you may be correct, but
from a practical perspective I disagree with your reasoning.
While the methane is being created in either situation, it is only being
captured and utilized in the production process of the ethanol. Removing
fossil fuels from the production equation must be considered a plus.
Utilizing resources that could be producing food is a big negative.
I don't think ROI in ethanol as it is now enabled in the USA is
sustainable. Brazil successfully figured out ethanol production long
ago. Why are we not following their lead (if ethanol is truly the
direction we wish to take)?
Crawling back into the dark recesses of my hole now!
Tony
Martin Eby wrote:
Jim,
Don't get me wrong. I tend to be a very green person. (I save my old
QuikTrip cups and take them into the store to use again when I get a
soda.) I don't own any gas guzzling cars. I keep the A/C at 82 and
the heat at 65 day and 55 night.
At the same time, I have a MS in chemical engineering and believe I am
more qualified than some (and much less qualified than others!) to
separate fact from fancy regarding ethanol's energy balance.
Moreoever, I was around for the first time ethanol made promises it
couldn't keep back during the 70s oil shock. It was, in fact, a major
research project of one of my professors.
Regarding the link you provided.... Kudos to them for co-locating an
ethanol plant with a stockyard. (But wow the smell would be even
worse!). Grabbing the methane from the stockyards is a very green and
possibly even becoming cost effective, but I don't think it is "good
science" to subtract that energy from the corn ethanol energy
calculation. While there are certain overall
transportation/processing efficiencies, the fact remains that the
methane production is completely independent of the ethanol
production. Put another way, a) the manure would produce methane even
if there were no ethanol co-products in the cattle feed and b) the
methane -- however produced -- could be utilized for any
heating/energy purpose. Hence it is no more appropriate to delete
that energy from the balance than it is to delete other energies
utilized in ethanol production such as electricity LPG, etc.
M.
These "scientists" are obviously not familiar with:
www.e3biofuels.com <http://www.e3biofuels.com>
Jim in Tucson
E85 EVO
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