Ethanol question?

Question

what are other renewable fuel sources that can be used to produce ethanol, other than corn?

Answer 1

Any plant matter can be distilled.  Personally, I have distilled refined sugar, sugar cane, corn, sugar beet pulp, apricots, coastal Bermuda grass, alfalfa, wild plums, prickly pear cactus, coconuts, red top cane and Johnson grass.  I have even used cotton seed hulls and peanut shells!  Distilling is like composting, any kind of plant matter can be used.  I've been 'stillin' for years and if my "hooch" doesn't please my palate, I put it in my gas tank (standard GM 350 V8 with no modifications!)

Answer 2

pretty much anything organic 'can' be used to produce ethanol.  Grass, wheat, barley, etc.

It's just refined alcohol, so anything they make alcohol can be made into ethanol.  Apples, agave cactus...

Corn is used because it's very high in sugar, therefor it produces a lot of alcohol when fermented, and also because it's quite plentiful.

Answer 3

Corn is not the prime product for making ethanol. Sugar cane is good because it has a lot of sugar, I would think that sugar beets would work well too. Switch grass is supposed to be good because it takes very little tending to grow a crop of switch grass, I've also heard that hemp is good source for ethanol.

The problem with all ethanol is that it produces so little power per unit of fuel. The fuel mileage is so bad that even though it produces less pollution per gallon it uses more gallons to get to the same place negating some of the advantage. Plus the energy used to farm any produce has to be a factor in calculating the equation. The cost and availability of corn has  increased the cost of meat and milk, and this is just the beginning of demand for corn. If other crops are used they are sure to create a supply and demand scenario similar to corn.

I say we need to get busy with electric vehicles and skip the intermediate steps of going to ethanol or hydrogen.

Answer 4

http://pushback.com

Answer 5

You have missed the main renewable fossil fuels . The earth recycles the water , the air , and the fossil fuels.

Answer 6

Lots!  Switchgrass, wheat, sugarcane, orange and grapefruit peels, cheese waste and many more.  In Wisconsin they produce ethanol from cheese whey, a by-product of cheese manufacturing.  Xethanol, LLC in Florida produces ethanol from waste citrus peels of the grapefruit and orange juice industry.  Anything you can ferment can yield ethanol.

Answer 7

Anything that has enough sugar in it to be fermented.

Before you go to far though, keep in mind that ethanol costs more than gasoline. It really isn't the long term answer to our energy needs.

Answer 8

Any organic item can be used to produce ethanol.  Corn is the worst.  Grass and hay products are the best since you can get two or three crops a year and they do not impact the land as much.

Answer 9

well corn is used a lot because there is a large surplus of it and it is easy and economical to produce but others include switchgrass sugar cane cellulose parts of the corn plant such as stalks there are many other organic materials but they are much less efficient

Answer 10

Molasis, Sugar and bio-degradable materials.