More bad news for corn ethanol haters (good news for energy independenteers!)

[HoosierRon]

In a nutshell: Use corn to make ethanol. Take the leftovers and make methane. The whole process becomes much more energy efficient.

Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion to Increase the Net Energy Balance of Corn Grain Ethanol

The present study evaluated the utilization of thin stillage (a major byproduct of the dry-mill corn grain-to-ethanol process) ... for conversion to methane.
...
Together with a reduction in the mass of solids that needs drying, methane generation translates to a 51% reduction of natural gas consumption at a conventional dry mill, which improves the net energy balance ratio from 1.26 to 1.70. At the design hydraulic retention time of 10 days, the digesters achieved TCOD, biodegradable COD, volatile solids, and total solids removal efficiencies of 90%, 75%, 89%, and 81%, respectively. We also found that struvite precipitation occurred in the thermophilic digesters during the course of the study, resulting in possibilities for nutrient recovery.

[AMERICA 123]

Amazing, simply amazing.

Longterm, maybe corn will be part of it after all.

If this kind of bio fuel stuff keeps up - along with some distribution 'improvements' and 'numbers' from the field - you just know the price of crude is going to drop - large.

[ronald mcretard]

1.70 is good, but isn't algae/cellulosic/etc. much better?

[HoosierRon]

Originally Posted by ronald mcretard

1.70 is good, but isn't algae/cellulosic/etc. much better?

Stop raining on my parade, will ya?

[jpm100]

I think some of the cellulosic proposals are like 7:1. But it probably depends on the feedstock.

And as a consolation they can use the corn leftovers for it.

[Generous Motors]

But if we used sugar to ethanol like Brazil does and then used the waste products of the sugar cane and or sugar beets to produce methane.......Corn isn't the thing to be making ethanol from but the corn growings bought off the congress, and once again the Americans get screwed.

[ronald mcretard]

Originally Posted by Generous Motors

But if we used sugar to ethanol like Brazil does and then used the waste products of the sugar cane and or sugar beets to produce methane.......Corn isn't the thing to be making ethanol from but the corn growings bought off the congress, and once again the Americans get screwed.

yeah, but sugar cane grows much better in Brazil than here.

[jman196]

Originally Posted by ronald mcretard

yeah, but sugar cane grows much better in Brazil than here.

Hemp is even more efficient than sugar cane. Just legalize its growth here and start using that to make ethanol so that it doesn't weigh down on the food supply and you can produce more for less.

[Generous Motors]

Originally Posted by ronald mcretard

yeah, but sugar cane grows much better in Brazil than here.

That is why I mention sugar beets, which grow just fine here in continential North America.

[Stéphane Dumas]

Originally Posted by jman196

Hemp is even more efficient than sugar cane. Just legalize its growth here and start using that to make ethanol so that it doesn't weigh down on the food supply and you can produce more for less.

I knew then hemp could be use for isolation material for house construction as well as being using for plastic material as Ford attempted with the "Hemp car" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxlj6fgQ-ZU

does hemp is even more efficient then switchgrass for ethanol or even butanol?

[Xenon]

Originally Posted by ronald mcretard

1.70 is good, but isn't algae/cellulosic/etc. much better?

And it gets rid of those things, too. Problem is that its pretty cost-prohibitive.

[samkung]

I still dont agree on using fertile farm land to grow corps which could be consume by people and instead turning them into ethanol which power people's car. This is just not right, on the other hand, i am all for energy independence, and i support to use algae or cellulose to produce ethanol.

[Wolfman01]

Originally Posted by samkung

I still dont agree on using fertile farm land to grow corps which could be consume by people and instead turning them into ethanol which power people's car. This is just not right, on the other hand, i am all for energy independence, and i support to use algae or cellulose to produce ethanol.

Agricultural land isn't exactly in short supply here. Farmers are being paid by the feds to NOT grow crops in this country.

[samkung]

Originally Posted by Wolfman01

Agricultural land isn't exactly in short supply here. Farmers are being paid by the feds to NOT grow crops in this country.

Yes i know, and apparently i have heard "rumors" that farmers choose to destroy some of their products, so the price will go higher, i would expect something like this from this unfair and greedy world.

PS: Well why dont the American Government lease the land to other country to employ American and work in the farm and produce products for their countries simple but controversial

PPS: yeah because farmers in America will get subsidies from the fed anyway, so why bother. It's kind of a hypocritical act from the country who's been pushing Free trade for many years