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Even if all of the corn produced in the U.S. last year were used to make ethanol, it would quench only 12 percent of the country's gas thirst, the report said. If the soybean crop were consumed as fuel, it would displace only 9 percent of the country's demand for diesel. Any appreciable upsurge in the use of those plants for fuel would also cut into the U.S. food supply.
The report, however, isn't dour about the potential use of biofuels. Instead, it advocates trying to develop high-cellulose plants that can produce higher levels of fuel, such as switchgrass, an approach that's been advocated by other scientists.
Switchgrass and similar plants have the potential to produce more energy than equivalent amounts of crops like corn that have been bred for food. Additionally, high-cellulose plants don't need fertilization and, because they are inedible, their use wouldn't affect food supplies.
These fuel plant crops also don't need much water and, conceivably, could be grown on land too dry for food crops. Like corn ethanol or soybean diesel, fuel made from these plants would result in lower tailpipe emissions than standard car gas. Synthetically produced fuels could also displace regular gas over time, the report stated.
Contrary to other recent studies, the report also found that both corn ethanol and soybean biodiesel supply more energy than is consumed in producing them. Corn ethanol delivers 25 percent more energy, while soybean diesel gives off 93 percent more energy than is required to harvest the crop and process the plants.
News of the report was first covered in the journal Nature.
See more CNET content tagged:
plant, fuel, biodiesel, energy, food
Using corn for fuel, takes food out of the mouths of people. Wouldn't growing switchgrass instead of corn do the same thing? There is only so much land in the U.S., we have a limited number of farmers ...
Am I missing something?
Either way, I'd bet there's land available to grow it...
Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com
Using corn for fuel, takes food out of the mouths of people. Wouldn't growing switchgrass instead of corn do the same thing? There is only so much land in the U.S., we have a limited number of farmers ...
Am I missing something?
Either way, I'd bet there's land available to grow it...
Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com
This is just propaganda written for the interests of the oil oligopoly and U.S. Car manufacturers.
It is lies.
One just needs to look at a honest story that is not from a organization that is a prostitute to the multi-nationals.
Here are some things to understand, and this is just the start:
1. The biofuel factories in Brazil are self-sustaining. The power to run them is from the manufactured biofuels themselves.
2. Japan, Austrailia, Germany China, India have been importing ethanol from Brazil to reduce their dependance on fossil fuels. Important to know that the U.S. doesn't do this, but the U.S. has a $.54 per gallon tax on all imported ethanol. Thus protecting oil company oligopoly and inflating importing the best grade of ethanol from Brazil. What happened to the "war on terrorism, where the Saudis financed 9/11 as well as other disasters.
4. The President of Brazil drives a car using biofuels, which is MADE BY GENERAL MOTORS. Other car companies have been flushering with their engines that will run on biofuels or gas (but runs on 100% biofuel very well). GM is now trying to get into the market, IN BRAZIL, ASIA, BUT NOT IN THE U.S.
5. Chat with Willie Nelson who has been running a biofuel only car for a while. He can also talk to you about what this would do for farmers. Imagine the U.S. being totally independent of Arab fossil fuels.
6. Remember, this is just the start. We need to partner with countries like Brazil, learn from them, rely on a renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. There are strong lobbies from defense contractors (no more baases and attacking of oil rich Arab nations), gas companies (the highest profits in the history of business), a focus more on technology, U.S. agriculture, partnering with companies for the good of all, not for political reasons. This can be done NOW. See following articles. No need to destroy our heritiage by digging up land in Alaska. Cnet is sickening.
<a href="
The point, if you had read it, is that corn and soybeans, although they make more energy than they take, are not as good as other plants, like the switchgrass example. Other plants take less water and fertilization, and therefore can be grown on land not suitable for food production.
Result: Biofuel for cheaper, more work for farmers, and no rise in food prices because of the lack of overlap in land use.
Nothing looks like they were in with the oil companies on it.
Final take corn and soy take a lot of water and effort to grow. The other stuff would be better. Eat corn and soy, burn switchgrass and other high cellulous plants.
This is just propaganda written for the interests of the oil oligopoly and U.S. Car manufacturers.
It is lies.
One just needs to look at a honest story that is not from a organization that is a prostitute to the multi-nationals.
Here are some things to understand, and this is just the start:
1. The biofuel factories in Brazil are self-sustaining. The power to run them is from the manufactured biofuels themselves.
2. Japan, Austrailia, Germany China, India have been importing ethanol from Brazil to reduce their dependance on fossil fuels. Important to know that the U.S. doesn't do this, but the U.S. has a $.54 per gallon tax on all imported ethanol. Thus protecting oil company oligopoly and inflating importing the best grade of ethanol from Brazil. What happened to the "war on terrorism, where the Saudis financed 9/11 as well as other disasters.
4. The President of Brazil drives a car using biofuels, which is MADE BY GENERAL MOTORS. Other car companies have been flushering with their engines that will run on biofuels or gas (but runs on 100% biofuel very well). GM is now trying to get into the market, IN BRAZIL, ASIA, BUT NOT IN THE U.S.
5. Chat with Willie Nelson who has been running a biofuel only car for a while. He can also talk to you about what this would do for farmers. Imagine the U.S. being totally independent of Arab fossil fuels.
6. Remember, this is just the start. We need to partner with countries like Brazil, learn from them, rely on a renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. There are strong lobbies from defense contractors (no more baases and attacking of oil rich Arab nations), gas companies (the highest profits in the history of business), a focus more on technology, U.S. agriculture, partnering with companies for the good of all, not for political reasons. This can be done NOW. See following articles. No need to destroy our heritiage by digging up land in Alaska. Cnet is sickening.
<a href="
The point, if you had read it, is that corn and soybeans, although they make more energy than they take, are not as good as other plants, like the switchgrass example. Other plants take less water and fertilization, and therefore can be grown on land not suitable for food production.
Result: Biofuel for cheaper, more work for farmers, and no rise in food prices because of the lack of overlap in land use.
Nothing looks like they were in with the oil companies on it.
Final take corn and soy take a lot of water and effort to grow. The other stuff would be better. Eat corn and soy, burn switchgrass and other high cellulous plants.
If you don't like the idea of burning food, then buy some grain and send it to the starving people of the world. That would be a wonderful thing to do! By doing so, you will help drive the price of grain up to a level that makes it econonomically infeasible to convert it to fuel.
If you don't like the idea of burning food, then buy some grain and send it to the starving people of the world. That would be a wonderful thing to do! By doing so, you will help drive the price of grain up to a level that makes it econonomically infeasible to convert it to fuel.
If our naturally evolved food plants have negative characteristics, why shouldn't we modify them? Genetically modified foods are bug resistant, stay fresh longer, don't require the same amounts of fertilizer or pesticide, and can be grown in a wider variety of climates. More population = More food needed. I don't see what the problem is.
more omega-3 fatty acids than any other plant. If we didn't have
hemp, we'd have to genetically modify up some. Still, running a car
on burning hemp would sure smell good. People in following cars
might start to smile after a while.
Hows that to tell the middle east where they can shove their oil!
I am downloading the patents as I type this.
Hows that to tell the middle east where they can shove their oil!
I am downloading the patents as I type this.
If our naturally evolved food plants have negative characteristics, why shouldn't we modify them? Genetically modified foods are bug resistant, stay fresh longer, don't require the same amounts of fertilizer or pesticide, and can be grown in a wider variety of climates. More population = More food needed. I don't see what the problem is.
- What about Hemp??
- by Jeff419 April 24, 2008 1:57 PM PDT
- We can solve all our fuel problems with Hemp. Everyone knows it, yet hemp cultivation remains illegal in America. What a joke!!
- Reply to this comment
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- I'll smoke to that!
- by JackfromBerkeley April 24, 2008 1:57 PM PDT
- Betsy Ross made her flag from hemp cloth. Hemp seeds contain
-
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(28 Comments)more omega-3 fatty acids than any other plant. If we didn't have
hemp, we'd have to genetically modify up some. Still, running a car
on burning hemp would sure smell good. People in following cars
might start to smile after a while.