Could people be STARVED to provide our ethanol fuel?

Question

Pure ethanol is much less efficient than gasoline .

If vehicles were to be operated on 100% pure ethanol, and the ethanol were made from corn, the amount required to fill a tank the size of those in a typical SUV would require enough corn to provide the caloric energy necessary to feed one person for a YEAR. - AND the vehicle mileage would be about 2/3 that of gasoline, so the big tank would be required in SMALL cars.

Shall we starve the world to drive our cars or shall we not use ethanol at all and continue searching for better alternatives?

Answer 1

Yes we would starve, and it seems you already know why.  An America that tries to run entirely on corn ethanol for transportation will find itself converting every available amount of land to corn.  We can't grow corn year-round, are we supposed to stock up and hope our fuel doesn't get destroyed by locusts?  What if a blizzard comes or drought.  We all know food prices can fluctuate with crop losses.  Do you want you fuel prices to fluctuate even more wildly than gas now?  I say we use diesel (129,800 BTUs per gallon) it yields the highest BTUs per gallon then even gasoline (114,100).  Ethanol only produces around 76,100 BTUs per gallon which is pitiful compared to current fuels.  When batteries become higher and denser capacity, maybe the electric car will finally dawn.  For now, I say we keep searching.

Answer 2

Don't believe too much anti-ethanol spin. I have driven an ethanol powered car (years ago in Brasil). It was fine. plenty of power, good economy. There are agencies in the USA who do want ethanol to replace gasoline yet. they are still bleeding the last dollars that they can get from crude oil. Ethanol burns clean but has always been an expensive substitute for gas. Now at $100 per barrel, ethanol is much more realistic.

Does  using corn for ethanol cause hunger in the world ? Absolutely not. The current system destroys countless tons of wheat and corn just to keep the price up. There is nothing wrong with using the "excess production" to make fuel.

Answer 3

IF thy really wont to do this thy need to use sugar beats or better yet saw grass the yield is much higher and is more cost efficient then corn.

Answer 4

Ethanol laws are counterproductive. Ethanol increases the cost of a gallon of fuel, increases the cost of food, and decreases the miles per gallon.

The Ethanol laws are the results of lobby efforts to our government representatives from corporations that benefit from increased farming.

Coal is a much better alternative to Middle East oil. The problem is that coal is currently used primarily in electricity generation plants. Putting coal in your car is little harder unless you utilize the proven Fischer-Trospch process: http://www.a2dvoices.com/realitycheck/En...

Answer 5

remember this - the price of gasoline is the reason the price of ethanol is higher. ethanol has been around for a long time. We must become energy independant. Kooks won't allow the drilling of oil in America so ethanol is the 'environmental friendly alternative'.

Answer 6

You're assuming ethanol from corn. But corn is the least efficient means of making ethanol. There are pilot programs using cornSTALKS and switchgrass, which are far more efficient. Also, switchgrass can be grown on land that can't be farmed conventionally.

Answer 7

Ethanol from corn will never totally replace fossile fuels on it's own because we will never be able to grow enough to supply the nations growing demand. People can be starved only if we go overboard, however we can use ethanol as a fuel source to a certain degree. Also, there are more efficient ways to make ethanol than from corn.

Answer 8

Yes. Ethanol takes vast quantities of grain to make it. Since Bush has signed 35 mpg cars by 2020, they will convert to partial or full ethanol. Not only will people starve, but it is not predicted that inflation will rise over 500% within the next few years. Cearials will cost $8.00 a box--and all milk and meats and foods--which ALL stem from grain, because livestock needs grain to eat--will increase dramatically when this goes into success. Another George Bush failed policy--he will be out of office by then, so naturally that major forthcoming fiasco will be blamed on the Democrats. Certain economic collapse lies directly ahead of us because he has sighned the ethanol bill...while he coasts freely through his term abusing our money and system. If he wanted oil for cars so bad, why didn't he take the Iraqui oil after he attacked them for having weapons of mass destruction? Ethanol--may be the straw that breaks the economic camels back! VOTE.

Answer 9

Doesn't seem to add up does it? I think Ethanol is just a short term fix unless it can be made from grasses OR other non-food products. The only reason I can think of for the congress to come up with Ethanol is it may help replace some foreign oil. Can't imagine it does a lot for GW.

Guy- It was your congress that produced the energy bill. I guess Bush just made them do it? How ignorant.

Answer 10

Well as long as Iowa has the first caucus, boondoggles like ethanol will always be a politicians best friend!  So yes, while ditching corn based ethanol and looking for other fuel alternatives (can someone say ethanol from other materials....or even electric cars?) is probably the best solution for our country's independence from oil, it's probably not going to happen that way as long as our government has something to say about it.

I think at the most though cars can run on 85% ethanol blended with 15% gasoline.  I've never heard of 100% ethanol cars, but I may be wrong.