Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Strange Energy Budget of Ethanol Production

Posted by timothy on from the subsidy-heaven dept.

joeflies writes "The San Francisco Chronicle published an article regarding research on how much fuel is required to make Ethanol. The results indicate that it make take 6 times more energy than the end product delivers."

4 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. The real future is not in corn by 1967mustangman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ethanol has long been a problem. The real insteresting prospect is the company up in Canada that is creating ethanol from the woddy portions of plants with a genetically modified bacteria see this slash dot story http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/0 7/1846247&tid=14

    --
    Madre de Dios! Es El Pollo Diablo! -- Captain Blondebeard
  2. Re:comparisons? by kherr · · Score: 4, Informative

    Minnesota Department of Agriculture has a comparison of energy costs to produce different types of fuel. Treat this as a starting point for information.

    People seem to forget that we don't pump oil out of the ground and into our gas tanks, it requires some serious refining. I've also heard that ethanol processing essentially removes the sugars from the corn, leaving a high-protein slurry that can be used as animal feed. Since it's high in protein and low in carbohydrates it's a more efficient feed and causes lower emissions from the cows. Heh.

  3. Re:Hmm by jcorno · · Score: 3, Informative

    According to TFA, they are including the energy used in producing the fuel used for growing and harvesting the grain and for making the fertilizers. This should probably be backed out of the equation because these activities will take place anyway - regardless of whether or not we're using ethanol.

    No, they won't. Farmers don't grow corn they don't intend to sell, and manufacturers don't make fertilizer they don't intend to sell. Both have increased production expressly for this purpose. Without the ethanol market, the farmers would cut back to keep prices under control. Same for the fertilizer.

  4. Checking Slashdot's Sources by Passman · · Score: 3, Informative

    I agree, this did smell funny. So I went out and did some research.

    It seems that the "scientist" in this story, Tad Patzek (a geologist), has been working for the oil industry quite a bit over the last few years. Odd that he should suddenly be switching his interest to agriculture and begin attacking Ethanol.

    Or perhaps it all makes sense if you look at it from the correct prospective.

    --
    Minne-snow-da: Winter is comming...