Lets not forget that the whole CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) design is flawed from a "green" standpoint.
1. cows dont natively eat corn and get sick when they do 2. concentrated cattle create seriously concentrated pollution (animal waste breaking down) 3. hardpacked ground does not absorb waste runoff and filter it naturally through soil and sediment layers so it ends up flowing to creeks, streams, lakes, the chesapeake 4. it's still corn-in, ethanol-out with a meat byproduct. Matt > 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 >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read >>> reviews on AOL Autos >>> <http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017>. >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Miatapower mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://list.miatapower.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/miatapower >> > > _______________________________________________ > Miatapower mailing list > [email protected] > http://list.miatapower.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/miatapower > _______________________________________________ Miatapower mailing list [email protected] http://list.miatapower.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/miatapower
