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Ethanol - Fuel of the future?

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Old 02-24-06, 07:40 PM
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Vegassc400
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Default Ethanol - Fuel of the future?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Souped-up microscopic fungi could help cut the U.S. gasoline habit by converting a billion tons of agricultural waste into domestic fuel, while also slashing greenhouse gas emissions.

As if that isn't enough, the concept has the blessing of the president -- an ex-oilman.

On a tour of the Midwest this week, President George W. Bush reiterated that he wants to wean the United States off its "addiction" to imported oil, partly by funding research into new methods of producing ethanol -- a fuel currently made in North America mostly from corn kernels and in Brazil from sugar cane juice.

Filamentous fungi and other microbes can be bred to break down an array of feedstocks, including wood chips, corn stalks and switch grass, that require no fertilizer and less input than traditional sources of the fuel.

James Woolsey, former CIA director under Bill Clinton, compared the state of the science for the new ethanol to the quick rise of the aero industry after the first flight.

"The Wright Brothers have flown," said Woolsey, who is now a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Woolsey and other experts say the biggest factors supporting the growth of an ethanol derived from native grasses and crop waste is that the science to make it is already within reach, and cars that burn it are already on the road.

To make cellulosic ethanol, enzymes spewed from fungi convert cellulose from the fibrous parts of plants, such as stalks, into sugar that then is fermented. In traditional ethanol, yeast breaks down sugar from the starchy parts of plants, such as corn kernels.

Scientists bioengineer fungi -- such as "jungle rot" that chewed through tents of the U.S. Army during World War Two in Guam -- to make the best enzymes for different fibrous plants.

"Fungi are the scavengers in nature that break down cellulose anyway, so we're not trying to turn an elephant into a mouse," said Mark Emalfarb, president and chief executive of Florida-based Dyadic International Inc.

Emalfarb said fungi Dyadic uses to soften and lighten blue jeans can break down corn stalks, sugar cane waste and rice straw into fuel.

It's a step beyond making conventional ethanol in which yeast breaks down easier-to-process plant starch.

The current price is high, about $2 to $3 per gallon, compared with about $1.07 a gallon for conventional ethanol, according to Glenn Nedwin, president of Danish enzymes company Novozymes.

But as the first commercial plants open and processing is perfected, costs should quickly fall, Woolsey said.

Feedstock abounds. The U.S. government estimates that more than 1 billion tons of crop and forest waste are available. Potentially, that amount of waste could make 80 billion gallons a year of ethanol -- about a third of U.S. gasoline demand.

And native crop switchgrass and other low-input feedstocks can be grown far away from the current Gulf of Mexico and Midwest oil refining centers. That would allow the fuel to be produced nationwide and could cut the need to transport fuels thousands of miles.

What's more, the fuel can cut carbon dioxide emissions. At least one big energy company under mandate by the European Union to cut greenhouse emissions is investing. Royal Dutch Shell has invested $40 million in Iogen, which has been operating a pilot plant making the fuel in Canada for two years.

FOLLOWING BRAZIL'S LEAD?

Brazil has slashed imports of Middle Eastern oil by expanding its conventional ethanol program. If fungi or bacteria can be engineered to break down sugar cane waste, it could even cut its dependence on its own oil, experts say.

President Bush hopes to reduce oil imports from violence-torn countries, in part by making cellulosic ethanol competitive in six years.

That could give a headache to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, whose slice of the world's oil production is growing as output elsewhere wanes. OPEC currently produces 40 percent of the world's oil and is expected to produce 60 percent of world oil in 2030.

U.S. conventional ethanol output grew 17 percent last year, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. That could lay the groundwork for growth in cellulosic ethanol.

"Corn is a transitional technology, it's creating infrastructure and demand, but ultimately we're going to be growing specialized energy crops," said Chris Somerville, a researcher at Stanford University's Global Climate and Energy Project.

Already, 37 states have stations that pump E85, a blend of conventional ethanol with gasoline. The total number of pumps is small, but ethanol is closer to reality than hydrogen fuel cells, the government's other big transportation fuel push.

And the few hydrogen fuel cell cars in existence cost about $1 million. But more than 5 million U.S. cars can burn E85.

Energy experts are cautiously optimistic. "The infrastructure is there or the technology to create it is there," said Aaron Brady, an analyst at Cambridge Energy Research Associates in Massachusetts. "I don't see any huge hurdle to getting this stuff to the pump," he said.

He said the fuel could become a big part of an alternative fuel program that eventually cuts oil dependence by including solar, wind and nuclear power.

The first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant is slated to open this year in Spain, owned by SunOpta Inc. Iogen plans to build a $350 million commercial plant in the Midwest or Canada next year, though it hasn't secured financing yet.

Earlier this week, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman announced that Washington is offering $160 million to build up to three industry-government funded cellulosic ethanol refineries.
Kind of a long article but very interesting. Bioengineering fungi to produce fuel from agricultural waste is a pretty cool idea. I'm sort of a noob when it comes to this kind of stuff so let me ask you guys. Is this feasible? Would you need to buy a car built specifically for ethanol as fuel or is there some sort of mod you would need to do to your own car?
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Old 02-24-06, 08:51 PM
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I love me some ethanol. I have about four or five servings a day...

Fungi-produced ethanol: perhaps it may be an alternative to petrol one day. Add yeast/fungi to water and plants as mentioned in the article to make alcohol. At least we can farm and replenish plants! I think this is not a new idea, but the technology does need to be better.
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Old 02-24-06, 10:57 PM
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I think Nuclear generating Hydrogen is right around the corner too.
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Old 02-25-06, 07:52 AM
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Ethanol probably represents the best short-term solution to our motor fuel needs. Not only can it be burned in a conventional internal-combustion engine (with a modification or two), it can utilize our existing gasoline distribution and dispensing network. Further, it can be mixed with gasoline to provide an interim fuel while massive ethanol production plants can be brought on stream.

A lot of development needs to be done on these transitional fuels, and investment in large-scale biofuel plants has become attractive as pump prices increase. By tinkering with additive packages, biofuels, like petroleum products, can be modified to order. Hydrogen, being a gas at standard temperature and pressure is going to require a completely new distribution system, and fueling stations will have to be built from the ground up. Electrics don't really solve the fuel problem, they only displace it - however they do make nuclear power and other efficient resources practical for a vehicle. Hybrid technology makes the energy conversion process more efficient in stop-and-go driving, and is easily adaptable to a number of internal-combustion prime movers.

Whether distilled from agricultural waste, or purpose-grown fuel crops, biofuels - both ethanol and biodiesel - are renewable resources that are available now using existing technologies. While we wait for superconducting electric motors and fusion packs, this will do quite nicely.
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Old 02-25-06, 09:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Lil4X
Ethanol probably represents the best short-term solution to our motor fuel needs. Not only can it be burned in a conventional internal-combustion engine (with a modification or two), it can utilize our existing gasoline distribution and dispensing network. Further, it can be mixed with gasoline to provide an interim fuel while massive ethanol production plants can be brought on stream.

A lot of development needs to be done on these transitional fuels, and investment in large-scale biofuel plants has become attractive as pump prices increase. By tinkering with additive packages, biofuels, like petroleum products, can be modified to order. Hydrogen, being a gas at standard temperature and pressure is going to require a completely new distribution system, and fueling stations will have to be built from the ground up. Electrics don't really solve the fuel problem, they only displace it - however they do make nuclear power and other efficient resources practical for a vehicle. Hybrid technology makes the energy conversion process more efficient in stop-and-go driving, and is easily adaptable to a number of internal-combustion prime movers.

Whether distilled from agricultural waste, or purpose-grown fuel crops, biofuels - both ethanol and biodiesel - are renewable resources that are available now using existing technologies. While we wait for superconducting electric motors and fusion packs, this will do quite nicely.
ethanol is not an short term solution because it will take a decade to build enough plants to produce enough ethanol. It also gets 30% less mpg, and you car ends up with less power than with petrol.

Study by EPA has found that only enviromentally viable ethanol solution (where it pollutes enviroment less than petrol, from production) is one where it is gotten from recycling commercial waste (plastics, etc). However this is still in research phase and one factory in the world is currently producing it.

So, ethanol is definetly not short term solution for anything.
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Old 02-25-06, 02:52 PM
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Chaeply avaliable Ethanol would be great. Mix gasoline with it and you have a blend that is very close to high octain race fuel. I would have a 600rwhp daily driver
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Old 02-25-06, 04:44 PM
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The bottom line is this: we will run out of fossil fuel in the not-so-distant future. How are we going to get around this?
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Old 02-26-06, 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by F1Driver
The bottom line is this: we will run out of fossil fuel in the not-so-distant future. How are we going to get around this?
collective suicide? :-)
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Old 02-26-06, 04:18 PM
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I'm all for ethanol. In the past I've writen and posted about this quite a number of times on CL. It DOES give lower fuel mileage, is not compatible over a 10% mix in cars designed for gasoline, will require some work ( not a huge amount ) to convert the plumbing to underground tanks. But.....I'm with Lil that ethanol's advantages far outweigh the advantages. It burns extremely clean......no carbon deposits, has an octane high enough even for racing, and can be pumped in out of pumps ( just like gasoline ) after some pump modification. It is hazardous if it does catch fire because the flame is very light-blue and difficult to see, but its flash point is much higher than gasoline's and is less likely to catch fire in a hot engine or ruptured fuel tank.....one reason why open-wheel racing converted to it decades ago. It can also be made from a number of different sources......whereas gasoline, with today's technology, can only come from petroleum and crude oil.

spwolf is correct that the infrastructure is not quite ready for it, but we will NEVER be ready if we don't get off our a * * es and get started. At one time there was no gasoline infrastructure either.

Last edited by mmarshall; 02-26-06 at 04:24 PM.
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Old 02-26-06, 04:35 PM
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Originally Posted by F1Driver
The bottom line is this: we will run out of fossil fuel in the not-so-distant future. How are we going to get around this?
Our so-called "fossil fuels" turn out to be a renewable resource, according to leading geologists - a natural process of hydrocarbon production in the earth's mantle. As these light hydrocarbons migrate toward the earth's surface, they collect in stratigraphic traps that concentrate them in commercial quantities. We don't know the exact rate of this process, but it does not look as though it is as finite as when we believed we had to drill into a pack of dead dinosaurs to recover hydrocarbons.

Don't assume we have an inexhaustible supply of oil and gas, just because it is renewable at some rate. IF we can conserve petroleum resources by beginning to cut our motor fuels with renewable ethanol and biodiesel, we can substantially increase the availability of our existing reserves. E-10 (gasoline cut with 10% ethanol) has been available in some localities for years, and Flexible Fuel Vehicles can operate quite well on E-85 (15% gasoline, 85% ethanol). These biofuels from high-cellulose agricultural waste and recycled products can extend our supplies of motor fuel, while preserving petroleum feedstocks for other uses, including products from structural materials to pharmaceuticals.
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Old 02-26-06, 07:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Lil4X
Our so-called "fossil fuels" turn out to be a renewable resource, according to leading geologists - a natural process of hydrocarbon production in the earth's mantle. As these light hydrocarbons migrate toward the earth's surface, they collect in stratigraphic traps that concentrate them in commercial quantities. We don't know the exact rate of this process, but it does not look as though it is as finite as when we believed we had to drill into a pack of dead dinosaurs to recover hydrocarbons.

Don't assume we have an inexhaustible supply of oil and gas, just because it is renewable at some rate. IF we can conserve petroleum resources by beginning to cut our motor fuels with renewable ethanol and biodiesel, we can substantially increase the availability of our existing reserves. E-10 (gasoline cut with 10% ethanol) has been available in some localities for years, and Flexible Fuel Vehicles can operate quite well on E-85 (15% gasoline, 85% ethanol). These biofuels from high-cellulose agricultural waste and recycled products can extend our supplies of motor fuel, while preserving petroleum feedstocks for other uses, including products from structural materials to pharmaceuticals.
The big question mark is this: is it "renewable resource" enough for mass consumption?
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Old 02-27-06, 05:46 AM
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Default E85 fuel has big appeal, but do numbers add up?

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Daniel Howes: Detroit's automakers have a new religion. Its colors are maize, as in corn, and good ol' environmental green.

Turbo-charged by the Bush administration's self-evident declaration that "America is addicted to oil," Motown is using newspaper ads, CEO speeches and production plans to build consensus around a new fuel that's not so new.

E85 contains 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol that can be manufactured right here at home -- as soon as (if?) more people can be persuaded to invest in the infrastructure to make and sell the stuff.

With attacks threatening Saudi oil refineries, Iran rattling the nuclear order, hurricanes pushing gas to $3 a gallon and Detroit's automakers gunning for a competitive edge, E85 is powerfully appealing even if reality is more complicated.

Sure sounds good

The pitch goes like this: E85 would cut carbon dioxide emissions, strengthen national security by reducing dependence on foreign oil, turn fallow fields productive, lower prices at the pump (so long as oil stays above $60 a barrel ) and deliver a beneficial byproduct -- hit Asian rivals where they ain't, for now.

"This is a potent cocktail -- national security types, the farm community, the domestic auto industry, some environmental groups, members of Congress from both parties and the president of the United States," says Ziad Ojakli, Ford Motor Co.'s group vice president for corporate affairs. "I like the odds there."

Agreed. Then add the fact that the growing economies of China and India likely are fundamentally altering global demand for oil. But E85 is no slam dunk.

Of the 170,000 gas stations across the country, according to DaimlerChrysler AG research, only 600 of them have E85 pumps. The fuel is less efficient than gasoline, meaning consumers need to fill up more often to go the same distance.

Changing politics

E85 has to be as much as 30 percent cheaper than gasoline to be viable. That's easy if instability and demand keep oil expensive, but less so if prices ebb because global turmoil subsides or ethanol production ramps up in the United States.

Two things here:

First, if reducing national dependence on Middle East oil is a goal, increasing taxes on gasoline isn't the only way to get there. Gas-electric hybrid vehicles are an option; clean diesel engines are an option; ethanol and bio-fuels distilled from grass to vegetable oil are an option -- and all of them deserve scrutiny.

Second, as much as Detroit rightly sees forces aligning in favor of E85, there's equally powerful evidence suggesting the hometown automakers are making it tougher for themselves to be heard in Washington.

A new report by JPMorgan says plant closings and job cuts by GM, Ford and Chrysler have "weakened" their "ability to shape political outcomes." By 2008, only eight states could be home to major Detroit-based plants. As many as six states -- and their 12 senators -- could see Detroit-owned plants disappear.

Not so easy building consensus for much with those kinds of numbers, but it's worth trying.
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Old 02-27-06, 07:19 AM
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Another thing I just read - USA currently does not have enough ethanol and is forced to import it from Brazil. Ethanol shortages are predicted later on this year.

so much about that, lol.
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Old 02-28-06, 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by F1Driver
The bottom line is this: we will run out of fossil fuel in the not-so-distant future. How are we going to get around this?
A truly free market can never "run out" of anything. At some point in the future oil may become too expensive to use as a motor fuel.
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