Biofuel- The Hoax

[Plinker]

Here's some very interesting reading. To me, this just confirms my suspicions that I've had all along. Take a look:
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/W...d_ethanol_hoax

Plinker

[er2006]

Here's some very interesting reading. To me, this just confirms my suspicions that I've had all along. Take a look:
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/W...d_ethanol_hoax

Plinker

It is called smoke and mirrors.

[OneLungMcClung]

I find it curious that we are hell bent for leather to make fuel out of food....when we are in the middle of a food crisis.

[Agent Smith]

IMO, we need to be focusing on hydrogen. We basically have an unlimited supply of water, so I'm sure if it could be produced on a large scale, it would probably end up being one of the cheapest ways to fuel a vehicle.

[Plinker]

I find it curious that we are hell bent for leather to make fuel out of food....when we are in the middle of a food crisis.

....which is how this so-called "food crisis" has come about.

[Brick]

C'mon guys, let's not get sappy! Biofuels for the time being is idiocy, especially if you're making it from food grains. Of course ethanol can be made from household garbage, and why does it have to be ethanol, why not methanol also? By the way since neither of these alcohols has the same heat value as gasoline, you have to burn more to get the same amount of energy.

Hydrogen is almost as bad since current technology has us making the hydrogen from methane gas (yep, natural gas). But it takes more energy to break down the gas than the hydrogen can produce so it's a net loss. Breaking water down to hydrogen and oxygen (hydolysis? iirc) takes massive amounts of electrical energy. So instead of wasting energy for the conversion why not run cars on methane.

We keep coming back to the same thing over and over. We have undeveloped resources in the U.S., along our coasts in or Arctic territories and in our interior too, oil, coal, natural gas, hydro power, nuclear power. All sitting on hold because of senseless environmental regulations.
So why not use our science and engineering expertise to mitigate the environmental risks as new (and neccessary) projects are being constructed instead of simply forbidding the projects?