[Vision2020] Ethanol Progress?

[Ted Moffett]

All:

While biofuels offer benefits over oil/gasoline to power cars,
trucks, machines etc., burning biofuels does add CO2 to the atmosphere,
contrary to what is asserted in this blog.  Also, do the math on how much
land and energy inputs would be needed to grow enough bio mass to generate
enough bio fuels to maintain current US energy needs that are now obtained
via fossil fuels.  It is doubtful biofuels are a dominate solution to either
fossil fuel depletion or greenhouse gas emissions.  The "feel good"
implication many suggest in the push for biofuels is that this is a
realistic solution to the depletion of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions.
While biofuels can offer alternatives and benefits over fossil fuels, they
will not solve the problems.

What are the current realistic or possible future solutions?  Let's list a
few:  nuclear fission (if fusion can be made practical, what a
breakthrough!), biofuels, wind, solar, geothermal, ocean tides, hydrogen
(fuel cells: generating enough hydrogen cheaply, and safely storing and
transporting hydrogen, are major problems.  Hydrogen for fuel cells can come
from fossil fuels, a more efficient use of fossil fuels than burning them
directly, but still maintains dependence on this limited resource.)

Read analysis below:

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/BFOA.php
-----------------
If technology can be developed that can cheaply remove/store CO2 emissions
from fossil fuel burning, this would be a major breakthrough, of course:

http://www.tonducorp.com/IGCC.htm

"IGCC plants have an additional advantage not available through traditional
combustion technology. IGCC plants can be designed to capture CO2 and make
it available for disposal. These "greenhouse" gasses are rapidly becoming a
concern for their potential impact on global warming. In a coal or gas fired
power plant, CO2 can only be removed after combustion which is not
economically feasible. However, CO2 may be removed before the syngas is fed
to the gas turbines in IGCC plants. This is currently being done at
gasification plants operating in refineries that remove CO2 to get pure
hydrogen."
----------------

The hard truth is that now, I mean right now, not in some vague time in the
future when we later we will solve the problems, we need immediate
reductions in absolute CO2 emissions, to head off a potential global
disaster from climate change, unless you suggest playing Russian Roulette
with the environment, and depleting a valuable resource needed by future
generations for their economic success.  And it appears obvious that the
hard answer to this hard truth is to reduce human activity that burns fossil
fuels (Wal-Marts global manufacturing and supply chain runs on fossil
fuels), which, yes, may likely, well, lets just say will certainly reduce,
economic activity.  Despite all the feel good messages that we can have our
cake and eat it to (hybrids and biofuels will save us), meaning continue to
increase rates of energy use in the US economy, while China and India, with
2 billion in population, also increase their energy consumption, and still
solve the energy/climate/fossil fuel equation, this global Juggernaut of
irresponsible squandering of irreplaceable fossil fuels will be viewed in
the future as one of the most short sighted and foolish periods in human
history, and a stellar example of how the mechanisms of the "free market"
did not offer a timely response to the scientifically understandable
laws involved in energy consumption vs. future energy needs, and the impacts
of fossil fuel use on climate change.

Now, I'm off to drive my CO2 belching car... A dodo bird of technology.

Ted Moffett



On 3/30/06, Art Deco <deco at moscow.com> wrote:
>
>  *Wired*  *http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cars/*
>
> Ethanol Hybrid Passes on Gas
> *Now Playing:* Korn
> *Topic:* Concept Cars
> GM today unveiled a Saab concept vehicle that runs on ethanol and battery
> power.
>
> When combining the power sources, the car can produce three times as much
> torque as a gasoline vehicle and it cuts the 0-60 speed by almost two
> seconds, according to GM. The BioPower Hybrid can be switched to city mode
> to run purely on electricity for short trips.
>
> The vehicle has two electric motors, including one in the back to drive
> the rear wheels. Saab is currently selling a flex-fuel version of the
> BioPower in Sweden. The Saab BioPower Hybrid Concept convertible is on
> display at the Stockholm Motor Show
>
> So to say goodbye to C02 and fossil fuels we just need a few thousand
> switchgrass farmers.
>
> Posted by jggsf 7:32 AM PST | post your comment (0) | link to this post
> <http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cars/index.blog?entry_id=1447645>
>
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