If gas prices hit $10/gal. and ethanol and biodiesel stay the same, then will people like biofuels?

Question

what if oil goes to 225/barrel as has been predicted in the next 2 years or the 65%of our oil that we import is cut off, what will we do then? all farmers and people in the biofuels industry are well aware that corn and soybeans cannot supply all our fuel needs but can only supply a small percentage. biofuels are only a small part of the solution to our energy needs. please don't kill something that is not a perfect solution. the energy in energy out from corn and soybeans is becoming better and better everyday.some ethanol plants are now locating near cattle feed lots and grain elevators. they are using the cattle manure for energy to power the ethanol plant. then the corn byproduct is then fed to the cattle.the winners for trying to do something to cut our oil use are the american citizens themselves. we can keep the money being exported out of our counrty for oil here. why can't we produce something in our country and use it instead of importing 65% OF OUR ENERGY?

Answer 1

The only reason why America uses ethanol is because the agriculture lobbies have put money in the pockets of our congress.  You have to admit that turning foods into ethanol is one of the most bone-headed ideas in history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We should be turning cellulose into ethanol.  We should be making green gasoline from wood. We should be using algae to make oils and diesel fuel.  We should be using hybrid vehicles that use electic power for the first 40 miles.  Congress should be pouring money into making artificial photosynthesis - not landing a man on Mars.

Yep, we could be energy independent..  But we have to kick the petroleum addiction.  As long as our economy is based on petroleum then the Middle East will control our economy.

Answer 2

Well, ethanol will go up with the price of oil, because you use almost the same amount of energy to make a gallon of ethanol as you get back (energy from oil). Depending on where you get your vegetable oil, you’d see the price of bio-diesel going up too, if you use oil from soy, canola oil, etc.

Algae oil as a fuel source is currently is currently being tested, by private companies not the government, that could provide for ALL fuel needs plus some leftover for growth.  That according to government reports written between 1970 and 1996, 1996 is when the government stopped looking at algae oil, but I hear they are looking at it again.

Right now there are some small test plants to prove the technology.

If you want to read up on algae oil as well as other alternative fuels go here.

http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_...

Answer 3

Ethanol isn't a bad idea but using food products to make it is. In Brazil they use sugar cane and it's waste products, which is 30% more efficient than corn for making ethanol. The price will never be much below gasoline since not many people will pass up the chance to make money, let alone corporations. And as was stated, in the US it takes a gallon or more of gas or other fuel to make a gallon of ethanol so it's a very bad deal right now, which explains why the government is supporting it.

The US gets most of our from Canada, much of it from the Athabasca Tar Sands in Alberta Canada. They make money on it when it's only about $40 a barrel, but for some reason they sell it to us at the going rate for oil. They have about 1.3 Trillion barrels up there, enough to last the world a few hundred years so peak oil is still a ways off.

Another problem with ethanol is that it will require bringing a lot of land under cultivation so we can continue to produce food. Every acre requires energy input to cultivate, irrigate and harvest and creating new farmland has an impact on the environment, too. Fertilizers might release nitrous oxide if they're nitrogen based, that's a greenhouse gas 310 times as potent as CO2. Some crops emit methane, which is also worse than CO2 for greenhouse warming. They estimate if they put every acre of farmland to producing ethanol, it still wouldn't produce enough fuel for the cars in the US, while causing massive starvation around the world (and here).

The best solution isn't clear yet but it may be hydrogen fuel cells, electric cars, the compressed air car or something we haven't even heard of yet. Hydrogen will become much easier to get, there's a company with a new nano material that boosts the efficiency of electrolysis in producing hydrogen. For electric cars, there is solar thermal generation, it isn't as costly as photovoltaic cells and they claim it will cost no more than coal-fired power plants soon. The compressed air car may or may not be real, Tata Motors will start selling them this year supposedly so we'll learn if they're real, if they're efficient and if they'll be popular here.

Answer 4

The President has tried to tell us what we need to do,but the Left is more interested in playing politics. They have blocked the President every time they could. We could burn coal as it is the oldest fossil fuel. Don't be part of the party that is trying to cripple this country.

Answer 5

This is when I start riding my horse to work. d**n the law.

Answer 6

Maybe we should go back to using a horse and buggy.

Answer 7

I completely see where you're coming from, and I do agree with you.

I mean think about it, wouldn't you feel more safe living here knowing we "do our own things" ?

Answer 8

Biofuels cut into our food supply. No sane person would think it is a good idea.

Answer 9

I like your point and here are a few things our government needs to start thinking about.

Public transportation

Electic vehicles

Renewable energy

Also remember this:

Renewable Energy is Homeland Security

Think about it...

Answer 10

Do I hear $20?  Will someone give me $20?  Do I hear $30?  Who has $30?  Going once.  Going...

I agree with Johnny as most envirnmentalists will.  Unfortunately we just don't seem to have a good coal burning automobile right now, and that was the point of the question.

Answer 11

You're exactly right Mr. Bruu.  The thing that is really bone-headed is importing foreign oil to run our cars and giving money to people who want to blow us up. Being 100% dependent on 1 type of fuel (oil) to power our vehicles is also bone-headed.  I'll use clean burning ethanol made from corn to power my cars any day over saudi oil.  God Bless America.  Use ethanol.  Support Americans, not arabs.

Answer 12

Well, if gas price hit $10/gal, then biofuel will go up in price too.  Because the transportation and production cost of the biofuel will go up too.  You mentioned Cow manure.  But there are not enough grassland and cows to produce enough manure for all the energy need to produce enough biofuel.  Not to mention the feed to the cows will cost more if the fuel goes up to $10/gal.

We need a new energy source.  Solar Heat, Algae oil, Solar Electric, Wave technology, wind power and geothermal are all good sources that "compliment" the fossil fuels.