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Lowering the Cost of Biofuel Production
sciencehabit writes: 2014 was a banner year for making automotive fuel from nonfood crops, with a series of major new production plants opening in the United States. However, producing this so-called cellulosic ethanol remains considerably more expensive than gasoline. So researchers are always on the lookout for new ways to trim costs. Now they have a new lead: a microbe that can use abundant nitrogen gas as the fertilizer it needs to produce ethanol from plants. The discovery (abstract) is "a major commercial accomplishment for biofuel production," says microbiologist Steven Ricke.
Sad to see that yet another person, when faced with the problem of our reliance on fossil fuels, turns to alcohol.
I'd tell them to get off my lawn, but if there's a chance they can turn my grass into fuel for my car, I guess I'll let them stay.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
That stuff is nasty! It'll mess up your engine, hurt your gas mileage and do little if anything to clear the atmosphere.
If we accept it's about cleaner air. And we assume that it burns X% cleaner. And we assume that we will burn X% more fuel over the same distance ... What have we gained? I have seen good arguments for using biodiesel but not ethanol.
It's all about corporate welfare. Big corporations and well funded universities make a show of looking for clean, efficient alternative fuels while sucking up taxpayer dollars. Where is MY lobbyist? Who will pay to overhaul my engine when it corrodes internally?
...omphaloskepsis often...