Hulver's site || Comments || News round up and mostly random thoughts

production of oil substitutes by wiredog (4.00 / 1) #1 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 11:45:32 AM EST

But which substitutes? Oil shale/tar? Coal-->Oil? Solar?

It's becoming increasing clear that ethanol is an all-around Bad Idea.

Earth First!
_{(We can strip mine the rest later.)}

corn based ethanol at least by georgeha (2.00 / 0) #3 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 12:41:48 PM EST

Brazil seems to do okay with sugarcane, and cellulose based ethanol could work.

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Other ethanols by wiredog (2.00 / 0) #4 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 02:33:42 PM EST

take even more energy to produce than corn. Brazil grows quite a bit of sugar to make ethanol from, but there's not much land available in the US for sugarcane. It is a tropical grass.

Earth First!
_{(We can strip mine the rest later.)}
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: That's not my understanding by lm (2.00 / 0) #5 Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:31:38 PM EST

Corn is one of the worst things to make ethanol from. I think sorghum and sugar beets both beat out corn in terms of efficiency of ethanol production.
But aside from ethanol, are the various ways of making biodiesel, making fuel from solid waste, coal gasification, etc. One of the largest arguments against gas alternatives in the past has been the cost of production. When the cost for equivalancy is ranges from eighty to a hundred dollars per barrel, there's going to be very limited research and development until the outlook is that crude will be at $70 per barrel or higher for the foreseeable future.
There is no more degenerate kind of state than that in which the richest are supposed to be the best.
Cicero, The Republic
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