The truth is that ethanol is a political solution to the
U.S. "energy problem.
Consumer Reports tested the
fuel consumption of E-85 on a Chevy Tahoe. The result was a 25% decrease in fuel economy.
That means you go as far on three-fourths of a tank of gas as you do on a full tank of
E-85.
A full-size Ford F-150 truck comes equipped for flex-fuel, which means it can burn E-85
ethanol (that's 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline), as well as regular gasoline.
When regular gasoline costs $3 per gallon, ethanol has to be cheaper than $2.25 for it to
be worthwhile.
If farmers use corn stock to make ethanol...food supplies dwindle...and savings to
consumers are minimal.
The truth is that ethanol is a political solution to the U.S. "energy
problem. It isn't going to help, but you can say you did something which is the
liberals incantation.
You can't call ethanol the new fuel, without solving the plumbing. The latest issue of the
American Geological Institute's Geotimes confronts the problems of "Peak
Ethanol."
Ethanol presents significant challenges – it corrodes pipes, absorbs water (which
ruins gasoline), and eats rubber. These problems seem simple, until you have to retrofit
an entire refinery with stainless steel pipes.
On a larger scale, ethanol raises more issues. For instance, how do you get ethanol from
the Midwest to the East Coast? You can't put it into pipes for two reasons. First, the
pipes aren't designed for ethanol and will corrode. Second, most pipes run north to south,
not east to west, and there isn't enough capacity. That means you need to put it on trains
and in trucks, which is not a solution either because it's too expensive. Not to mention
the danger of a car accident with several thousand gallons of alcohol. We simply don't
have the capacity to move huge volumes of ethanol.
The reality is, the oil problem has no easy solution. We aren't just addicted to oil;
we're mainlining it. In the beginning, oil lubricated our economy. Gasoline and diesel
fuel expanded America. It brought cheap goods to our far-flung inhabitants, and it was
good.
Changing attitudes won't alter the system anytime soon. The U.S. infrastructure is built
around automobiles, trucks and highways. 70% of every barrel of oil we import goes to
vehicle fuel.
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Sugar cane-based ethanol is one reason why the government predicts that for the first time
in its history, Brazil will export as much oil as it imports.
Recent studies in the United States have suggested that the entire American corn crop
would provide enough fuel to replace only about 12 percent of U.S. gasoline demand. To
help plug that potential gap, some in the United States have advocated importing ethanol
from Brazil. Though Brazil currently provides about 5 percent of U.S. ethanol, a duty of
54 cents per gallon -- a measure designed to protect American farmers -- makes a
large-scale trade relationship unlikely.
"We would never be able to supply the United States with any substantial quantity of
ethanol," said Carvalho, of the producers union. "But we could offer an
equilibrium supply if the consumers in the U.S. had a voice in the matter. But it's the
Midwest corn producers that are holding it up."
Comparing sugar cane ethanol with corn-based fuel in terms of the reduction of carbon
dioxide and greenhouse gases is one that Brazilians such as Carvalho love to make. The
ethanol extracted from corn yields only about 15 to 25 percent more fuel than the fossil
fuels that were used to produce it. In Brazil, according to industry studies, the
sugar-based ethanol yields about 830 percent more.
However, many experts in all aspects of Brazil's industry agree that the future of ethanol
resides neither in sugar nor corn, but in cellulosic ethanol, a biofuel that theoretically
could be extracted from almost anything from switch grass to scrap paper. The United
States is leading research into developing cellulosic technology, and the Energy
Department this month announced it was dedicating $250 million for two new research
centers dedicated to the cause.
At the sugar plants in Brazil, operators say they believe the future is already on
display: Most of the plants burn bagasse, the leftover tissue from the sugar cane stalks,
to power the production facilities. Because Brazilian cane has been genetically bred to
yield more sugar throughout the years, the stalks are particularly weak -- which makes
them easy to break down, and ideal for converting to energy.
Many believe that if cellulosic ethanol becomes accepted it will be the best idea for the
future and Brazil will be the best place to demonstrate it. |
