"I couldn't possibly fail to disagree with you less."
16 July 2006E85, where are you?A lot of people are talking up ethanol as a sort of Gasoline Helper in these troubled times, and most contemporary engines can deal with mixing 10 percent ethanol into the mix; I gave Sandy a tankful last time I was in western Minnesota, and she handled it like any other fuelstuff. Beyond that, there are vehicles already on the road that can handle an 85-percent mix. There are some downsides — lower energy density, hence fewer MPG, is the one most commonly reported — but this one is the one that sticks in my mind:
The grain required to fill a 25-gallon SUV gas tank with ethanol will feed one person for a year. The grain to fill the tank every two weeks over a year will feed 26 people.
Points off for the gratuitous mention of the hated letters "SUV" — the equation is no less true for any vehicle with a 25-gallon tank — but this is a heck of a lot of corn we'd be committing. Still, there's one compelling factor in its favor: there's no Organization of Biomass Exporting Countries. Posted at 9:24 AM to Family JoulesYeah, but the vast majority of corn grown in this country is never going to end up on anyone's table anyway -- most (as in, more than 80%) is grown for livestock feed. Only about 12% is used, in any way, for human consumption[1]. So it's not like ethanol production is taking tortillas off somebody's plate. Posted by: David Fleck at 3:32 PM on 16 July 2006there's no Organization of Biomass Exporting Countries. Yet. Posted by: McGehee at 3:47 PM on 16 July 2006But if we don't feed the livestock, where will I get my overpriced steaks? :) One year??? I kind of question that stat. I would like to see the data that backs that up. They don't list anything in the article and being as it is a greenie site I don't trust it. Posted by: Titan Mk6B at 1:05 PM on 18 July 2006 |