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biofuel production

Read and learn more about biofuel production. For more, visit the Renewable Energy website EnergySourceRenewable.org

Q: Are you concerned about some of the problems associated with increased biofuel production?
Corn used for ethanol production covered 11 million on acres in 2005, and now covers 23 million acres. To meet the 15 billion gallon mandate passed by the house in June, we will need about 36 million acres of corn. Corn is being planted in lieu of crops like soybeans, and in place of grasslands. Crop rotation is diminishing as corn-on-corn becomes the norm, and water quality could suffer due to increased fertilizer runoff. Farmer participation in the Conservation Reserve Program, a federal program that retires marginal farm land from agricultural production, is diminishing. All of this is not good news for the Henslow’s sparrow, whose recovery is dependent on the presence of perennial grasslands created by the CRP.

In creating solutions, shouldn’t we avoid creating more and new problems?

A: Your observation is correct. We are actually destroying natural resources by over exploiting them for every growing demand for energy. Oil, coal and water are not infinite. They have already become “preserving commodities”. We are all culprits in misusing costly electricity even during day time when the sun is shining. Burning bulbs contribute CO2. Have a look at my World Bank honored grassroots level initiative.
Even burning bulbs contribute to global warming. I was honored by the World Bank for my grassroots initiative U-SEE
A grassroot level initiative U-SEE – Unlimited Savings of Electrical Energy which gives to the world how we can stop misuse of electricity during day time when the sun is shining. My idea revolves around “bring home the sunshine” and “get moonlight from sunlight”. Have a look at the following World Bank link and let me know if you want more details. The idea is a child’s play and is so simple but saves billions of units of costly electricity and also reduces over exploitation of the natural resources like oil, coal, water and also reduces global warming from stopping burning of bulbs.
Link: http://dmblog.worldbank.org/mirrors-can-bring-light-rural-homes
Please spread this link to all your family members, friends and neighbors. Let them also benefit and save the world before it is too late.
vkumar_m@yahoo.com -
Vasanthkumar Mysoremath, Bangalore, India

Q: How long will it take for the US to ramp up production of biofuel to the point where it will really matter?
i need to know over the next hour, the answer to this question…

How long will it take for the US to ramp up production of biofuel to the point where it will really make a difference?

how many years will it take to produce enough biofuel to the point where it will make a difference?
i kinda need an exact amount of time…if ya can!?

A: There are a lot of variables, so it’s very hard to predict. We first need high-yielding dedicated energy crops to use instead of corn. These could produce much more fuel per acre, and should be suitable to grow on marginal land so that biofuels would not compete with food production. Secondly, we need better microorganisms or enzymes for breaking down the plant material into sugars and converting the sugars to fuel. Ideally this would be a fuel other than ethanol (such as butanol) with better fuel properties and which is easier to transport.

Once these technical problems are solved, we also need time to ramp up production, including production and distributing seed, and building factories to convert the material to fuel. Not to mention improving rural infrastructure to handle the logistics of moving so much plant material and fuel.

All this requires a great deal of money to be invested, and a great deal of cooperation by those working on various parts of the problem. How fast it happens will be determined by economic conditions (i.e. oil prices and availability of capital) and political will to remove barriers and provide incentives.

The first demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plants should be coming on-line in the next year or two, and the first line of dedicated biomass crops will be released next year. After this it will take several years to work out problems and convince investors to build larger plants, then plant construction and expansion of the industry may take another 5 years or so to become a significant portion of our fuel supply (~10-15%?). My best guess is 10 years. A “Manhattan Project” type effort would be great, but probably would only shave off a few years because of the political and organizational lead-time on getting a project like that going.

Q: Are you willing to stop eating meat to allow more grain to be used for biofuel production?
Pilgrims Pride, a large chicken processing company, is closing some of its complex due to feed costs. All meat will become more expensive as more grain is made into fuel. Bread, cereals and baked goods will become very expensive, too. Is the world ready for this?

A: Start using gas without ethanol, and eat the chickens.
Corn is being diverted to ethanol because the government helps pay for it. Consequently the actual cost of E10 is more costly than what you pay at the pump.
Now, the cost of beef etc. has dropped because the ranchers can’t afford to feed corn. Once the beef supply gets low enough, the price will sky-rocket. The same will happen with pork and poultry.
All this is because we can’t develop the oil fields we have because of environmental decisions.

Q: How do you analyze the free fatty acid content of oil, specifically oil for biofuel production?
i am looking for specific steps. thank you very much

A: You take the PH of the substance. And titrate it to see how much base you need to get a PH level of about 7.

Q: What is possibly the best alternative for biofuel production?

A: Compressed air propulsion that uses the thermal differences between compressed air and air at normal 15 PSI.

Q: If biofuel contributes to the CO2 problem, why is Congress subsidizing biofuel production?
Time magazine succinctly outlined the problem in its most recent issue, that in fact, biofuels contribute more to the problem of carbon being released into the atmosphere than they solve.

In addition, the World Health Organization is very concerned that this measure will lead to starvation for maybe millions of people because of increased in crop prices internationally.

Is anyone going to address this boondoggle?

A: Because we asked the government to help in becoming less dependent on foreign oil. I would like to see more use of solar energy to make ethanol, most ethanol plants burn coal to get the heat needed for ethanol production, hence the CO2 problem.

Q: what are some types of plants that are good for biofuel production in canada?

A: None. Bio-fuels are an inefficient, costly will-o’-the-wisp. But, if you insist, the growing season is long enough for sugar beets as a 1st choice, then soy beans & cereal grains.

Q: So, the increased production of biofuel crops are cusing global food prices to rise?
Even the top dog of the IPCC is saying it is a tragedy that people are moving to biofuel crops instead of growing food. What ther hell did they expect? How long before admit to their folly of global warming caused by humans? Recent studies show that biofuel crops are causing more damage than good, How much are you willing to pay for sugar and bread?

A: Yes, I read about this last week. Apparently the amount of crops needed to fill the tank of a Chelsea tractor would feed a family of 4 for three months. It is now becoming a fight between filling tanks and filling bellies. Plus more rain forest is being cleared to make way for crop growing – swings and roundabouts.

Q: What if all the world’s tobacco plantations were turned over to biofuel production?
or maybe even food?

and no we’re not about to burn tobacco in power stations or cars.

A: there would be less global warming (biofuel) and there would be less risk of health problems and all that. its a good idea.

Q: Why is the only sustainable production of biofuel, ethanol from wood and plants?

A: sustainable means you can go back to the source again and again. (it is infinite…not limited) Plants can be grown again after they have been cut down.No other source can do this.
Of course the soil will have to be replenished with fertiliser.

Q: prospects for biofuel production in South Africa?
i want to know the benefits of biofuel production to the South African economy, specifically the Agric and Agribusiness sector.

A: Why don’t you do some research, then? (instead of just asking the qu.)

Q: Is algae biofuel the real wave of the future in gasoline production?
What do we know about the bio reactor in Coolridge, Arizona? Is Exxon Mobil doing something? Are they tied in with Royal Dutch Shell? Can we make this in our own backyards?

A: This is where oil is originally from, pond scum

Q: Does biofuel production use water efficiently?

A: Excellent question.

No; it takes, I think, about 100 tons of water to make 1 ton of grain; and the grain then needs to be converted to ethanol.

The US ethanol industry serves the needs of agribusiness, no one else. We could import the ethanol from Brazil, where it is made much more cheaply (and with less use of natural resources) from sugar cane.

What we really need is a way of converting cellulose (not just starch) to usable fuel.

We certainly need to do something about global warming, or we will be in BIG trouble within your lifetime. But that is not a reason for doing things that make matters worse.

Q: how can microbes be used in biofuel production?

A: Microbes can be used to break down tough plant matter like cellulose (wood, corn stalks, grasses, etc.) into sugars and starches. Then you can ferment this into ethanol. This is called “cellulosic ethanol”.

Q: Biofuel / food production in poor countries?
Are poor countries in danger if fuel crops replace the food crops, will people be faced with food reduction and hunger?
E.G.Mexico?
The air fuel sure sounds the safest option. But what will that take?
I think the use of land to grow bio is illogical considering people are starving in many contries. And if ethnol, isn’t production useing plants to convert it?

A: Biofuels are a classic example of how the people of the West think it perfectlty appropriate that people in the developing world should continue to suffer hunger if it makes consumer goods cheaper for us.

When we bleat about “lowering our standard of living” what we are actually saying is that workers in the developing world have no right to better THEIR living standards unless it has a negligible effect on us.

We will not pay more for fuel, source other fuel and transport options or heaven forbid sell the stinking 4 wheel drives just because little Kanye and Hussein might starve this winter if we don’t.

That’s where all the anger against the West comes from. I would hate people too if I KNEW that their selfish lifestyle choices meant my kids could not eat or go to school.

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