Blogs home Science Becoming Religion
Food Crops Not Good for Biofuels
Those who are criticizing conversion of corn and soybeans to fuel have a good point. Diverting food crops to fuel doesn't do much to increase energy resources, even though it reduces food supplies.
Corn and soybeans have been bred for eating to provide energy for animals. Corn and soybeans cannot be efficiently converted to fuel. Too small a portion of the plants can actually be used to produce ethanol. Using wind energy for ethanol plant operation provides a greater net energy yield, but not enough to really increase energy resources.
Technology to convert corn stalks and soybean leaves to ethanol would improve the yield, but such technology would eliminate the need to use corn and soybeans. Waste paper and tree trimmings could be used without diverting food crops to fuel.
Currently algae provide a much more productive source of biofuels. Glen Kertz president and CEO of Valcent Products says that algae can produce 100,000 gallons of oil per acre compared to 30 gallons of oil from corn and 50 gallons per acre from soybeans.
Unfortunately, ignorant politicians think that the carbon dioxide that "fertilizes" algae is a pollutant that should be prohibited. Algae production facilities connected to coal fired power plants can increase the amount of energy produced from the same amount of coal without reducing food supplies.
Top ads RSS
- Body Shop Tech Experienced tech needed. Looking for someone that ...
- Kitchen Manager Lawrence DCCCA, a diversified provider of human services, ...
- CMA Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living Full and Part-time all shifts ...
- Ottawa University
- Full-time and part- time Client Services positions available at Absorbent ...
Marketplace
Arts & Entertainment · Bars · Theatres · Restaurants · Coffeehouses · Libraries · Antiques · Services
- $4 gas comes to town July 8, 2008 · 19 comments
- Radical founders July 8, 2008 · 100 comments
- Police outline events of killing July 7, 2008 · 79 comments
- Barbecue joint ready to move into old Bucky's location July 7, 2008 · 111 comments
- Fall surprise? July 7, 2008 · 139 comments
- Businesses say 23rd and Iowa repaving project hurting their bottom line July 8, 2008 · 25 comments
- On the record July 9, 2008 · 1 comment
- Motorists, cyclists share responsibility July 6, 2008 · 131 comments
- Candidates duel on economy July 8, 2008 · 29 comments
- US removes ‘yellowcake’ uranium July 6, 2008 · 123 comments
- Window peeper on Tennessee Street reported July 8, 2008
- Two questioned in connection with crime spree, police chases in Jefferson County July 8, 2008
- A dandy pro debut July 8, 2008
- Police outline events of killing July 7, 2008
- City plan affects 3,000 rentals July 8, 2008
- Doctors recommend cholesterol drugs for some 8-year-olds July 7, 2008
- Barbecue joint ready to move into old Bucky's location July 7, 2008
- Communication camp helps youngsters learn self-expression July 7, 2008
- Court documents: Collins lawsuit was not properly served because of address error July 8, 2008
- Scientists: Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects July 7, 2008
26 April 2008 at 4:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
pdecell (Paul Decelles) says…
Granted carbon dioxide is required for photosynthesis and I agree with you that crops are a bad idea for biofuels. I point out to my classes the stupidity of growing crops just so we can run around in our cars-I am not sure that going to switch grass or stubble is going to help either.
As for algae and linking algal biofuel production to coal generated power, do you know of any studies analogous to the Pimentel study that have costed this strategy out over its life cycle? So many of these ideas sound good on paper but when you cost them out in terms of energy production versus requirements and other sorts of requirements they don't work.
What is the basis of Valcent's CEO's claim? Is he simply scaling up production from a prototype system or does he have some other feasibility data to back up his claims. Can one build an algal based system big enough to significantly offset the CO2 production from a coal power plant? I don't know the answer. If the system is so great why even couple it to the coal plant?