Question about ethanol and biofuels?

Question

Hi everybody,

I would just like to ask why isn't ethanol used widely across the world as a alternative fuel source, like Brazil, rather than continuing to use petroleum-based fuels?

Answer 1

Simple, cost.

Answer 2

Because producing ethanol is the most destructive energy alternative there is.

You must clear fields or wooded areas (usually by burning), plow the land (wildlife habitat be damned), fertilize it, spray it with herbacides and insecticides, divert water to irrigate it and then process the harvest.

The next time you are out in the country enjoying the scenery, imagine it plowed under with a John Deere in the middle of it kicking up dust.

Answer 3

well,even though ethanol and other bio fuels supports the environment by releasing less green house gasses,they cost a lot of money to produce those fuels.

Answer 4

There is a bad ratio between energy required to produce and ethanol production. Also there are concerns that there is not enough corn being produced by farmers to make any real leaps towards ethanol in the US.

Corn is not a very profitable crop to produce. There needs to be government incentives for farmers to make the switch if we decide to go green. But we should wait 5-10 years to see if electric cars will become the new norm before such a huge conversion.

Answer 5

Brazil makes theirs from sugar. We make it from corn. It takes a buttload of corn to make ethanol. Not as much for sugar.

Subsidies are not the way to go. BTW

Answer 6

Brazil destroyed a lot of rain forest to grow sugarcane,,, petroleum is the most abundant and lowest cost fuel around...believe it...

Answer 7

Brazil uses Ethanol because they have the best source to produce the fuel.  Sugarcane plants-nothing works better.

Answer 8

it takes 9 gallons of unleaded to make 10 of ethanol

Answer 9

When i look at the economical difference between bio fuels and fossil fuel i can see that it is trivial . i think what we need is to develop techniques for using sewage water and garbage to produce efficient fuel without harming the enviroment since sewage water and garbage are endless daily supply .

Answer 10

Forone thing, because ther's been a lot of obstructive activities by the oil companies.

But one thing we need to be aware of: bio-fuels, although "carbon-neutral" are NOT environmentally neutral-. To growthe pants tha tprovide the raw material means devoting massive acreage--and that has an impact on th eenvionment,andnot a good one.  That is another reson why their use is--and is likely to remain--limited.

I'm not"against" biofuels--within limits they have an imprtant role to play in getting the world off of fossil fuels.  But they are NOT a magic bullet.  We need a lot more emphasis on other areas--wind, solar, and nuclear energy; on making the cars we have more efficient, on mass transit systems, and so on.

Answer 11

People are basically lazy. It takes commitment to buy 2 acres of land for each of your cars, grow your own switchgrass on it, ferment that grass into ethanol, and convert your car to run on it. Of course, if they did so, they'd pay down the investment in about 7 years...

Answer 12

In the U.S., the production of ethanol emits more carbon than oil.  The production process also emits gases that form smog.  

If you use ethanol, you're gas mileage will go down.  Any way you look at it, ethanol is a horrible idea for the environment and the economy.  The only reason it's profitable for producers is due to huge government subsidies.

Answer 13

Ethanol cannot replace oil based fuels entirely, it substitutes for a percentage of the oil based fuel in a kind of mix. This percentage is pretty low, but it is reducing oil comsumption.

One of the main reasons the percentage cant be easily raised is the ethanol eats through the rubber seals and components of engines.

Ethanol is a pretty scary substitute in that it takes green plants to produce it, that takes water fertilisers and land-resources that are not being used to feed the BILLIONS of people that are starving on this planet.

Best solution is to walk, ride, catch the train etc.

Just walk.

Answer 14

Bio-fuels have their limits and ethanol is not exactly the best solution. Bio-diesel from plants like Jatropha is better.

Also chopping doen thick rain forests for corn/bio-fuel is much more dangerous than living them intact and using gasoline.

So bio-fuels have their limitations and please dont cut down forests to grow bio-fuels.

Answer 15

There aren't enough food crops to make enough ethanol for the world.  

Part of the problem is that ethanol is very inefficient.  Right now they're burning 3 pounds of fossil fuels to make 4 pounds of ethanol.  

http://www.mda.state.mn.us/renewable/ren...

There's no way to make it efficient, you have to ferment alcohol then distill.  

Oil crops to produce biodiesel are a much better answer, as the above link shows.   But still nowhere near enough to supply the world's needs, until we figure out new oil crops such as algae.

Right now, the corn and sugar grown to make ethanol isn't starving people, it's starving chickens.  The corn used would otherwise go to animal feeds.   You realize the vast majority of American grain production goes to feed our meat and dairy.  If we truly meant to feed humans, the surplus is mind-boggling.  The barrier isn't food supply, it's political strife, i.e. the warlords who intercept food supplies and use it as a weapon.

Answer 16

read my answer in this question

(12 answers down)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

and the link to another question ,with my answer about the ethanol slaves ,(7 answers down)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

And you will understand why sensible people are against it