Here is an interesting piece about ethanol from Kevin Kerr at Market Watch.
Even those who staunchly advocate the idea of corn-based ethanol will almost always agree that there are some serious drawbacks to making fuel from food. And now it’s becoming clear that ethanol’s side effects may be much more devastating than first realized.
The fact of the matter is that the U.S. runs on automobiles, trucks, and public transport, and all of them run on fossil fuels, that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Sure the idea of a car that runs on hydrogen or solar panels is intriguing, unfortunately it’s about as likely as a sleigh and magic reindeer to really solve our problems anytime soon.
We have all heard about how ethanol and ethanol subsidies are effecting things like food prices and the lack of prime beef. Kerr points out some more serious, long term ethanol problems relating to the use of corn as our main ethanol source such as, drought and nitrogen “dead zones”.
The damage from the massive amount of corn planting in the Midwest is just starting to be felt. As water supplies get sucked up from local ethanol plants, the Midwest is now one drought away from disaster. Even more devastating is that as nitrogen from fertilizer runs off into the Mississippi, it is now responsible for creating a “dead zone.”
Massive quantities of nitrogen have virtually destroyed the oxygen in the water killing fish, crabs, shrimp, and vegetation.
Because of the problems with using corn as the source of choice for ethanol, most of the current talk I have heard is about using switch grass and wood chips as alternatives.
Kerr mentions some other intriguing ideas including subsidizing sugar cane crops in places like Florida and Louisiana as it is a far more efficient source. Also, a wild card I had previously been unaware of; tropical maize, which could be grown in the traditional corn producing areas.
One of the biggest advantages of tropical maize is the input costs. Since the corn stalk is really the crop, it has no ears and requires few crop inputs such as nitrogen and fertilizer.
Also, unlike switch grass, tropical maize can be easily rotated with corn or soybeans, and can be planted, cultivated and harvested with the same equipment the farmers already have.
Up to 25% more sugar is produced with tropical maize and it has far less side effects.
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Tags: ethanol, Kevin Kerr, tropical maize
Patrick E. Talburt wrote,
More power to ya, Jackie Boy. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and tropical maize seems to be quite an interesting solution.
Link | December 22nd, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Pribek wrote,
P.T., I am honored by your presence. Your opinions are considered welcome and valuable.
Link | December 22nd, 2007 at 2:54 pm