Umm, just who's bright idea was it to use foodstuffs like corn and soybean for biofuels?

Question

And why aren't we using hemp?

From Wiki:

"Increased demand for biofuels, particularly in America and Europe has led to deforestation (see deforestation) and food shortages (see 2007-2008 world food price crisis‎ ). This is increasingly making biofuels into a political issue throughout the world."

Answer 1

I think it was Willie Nelson's idea. Willies cool ain't he.

Answer 2

The global elite. There is plenty of food. they are creating artificaial inflation to increase profit margin.

Answer 3

Smarty,

I currently run Bio Fuel (straight vegetable) in a 1999 Dodge 3500 truck. But all Cummins engines were modified from the factory to run on BioD since around 1992 without any modification.

Biofuel is recognized by both the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy as an alternative fuel, and qualifies for mandated programs under the Clean Air Act Amendments and the Environmental Protection Act of 1992 (EPAct).

USDA Clears Air with Biofuel: Buses and other diesel-burning vehicles run cleaner if they mix biofuel with regular diesel fuel, said the US Department of Agriculture at a biofuel fuel seminar at a USDA research center.

Conversely most major automotive manufacturers (Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors, etc) recommend the use of bio fuels, and nearly every car manufacturer in the world approves ethanol blends in their warranty coverage.

In fact your probably even driving an ethanol car and didn't even know it.

The trick is finding fuel.

I've been producing biofuel for about 3 years now, it's not extremely difficult. Basically you need general household ingredients, a processor (or still for ethanol) and some used oil. Blend it, let separate, screen and use. I complied a guide a while back to help walk you threw the process step by step, just email me or check out..

http://www.agua-luna.com/guides.html

• 1 liter of new vegetable oil, whatever the supermarket sells as cooking oil

• 200 ml of methanol, 99+% pure

• lye catalyst -- either potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH)

• blender or mini-processor

• scales accurate to 0.1 grams, preferably less -- 0.01 grams is best

• measuring beakers for methanol and oil

• half-liter translucent white HDPE (#2 plastic) container with bung and s***w-on cap

• 2 funnels to fit the HDPE container

• 2-litre PET bottle (water or soft-drinks bottle) for settling

• two 2-litre PET bottles for washing

• duct tape

• thermometer

Use the "Methoxide the easy way" method -- it's also the safe way. Here's how to do it.

Measure out 200 ml of methanol and pour it into the half-liter HDPE container via the funnel. Methanol also absorbs water from the atmosphere so do it quickly and replace the lid of the methanol container tightly. Don't be too frightened of methanol, if you're working at ordinary room temperature and you keep it at arm's length you won't be exposed to dangerous fumes.

Carefully add the lye to the HDPE container via the second funnel. Replace the bung and the s***w on the cap tightly.

Shake the container a few times -- swirl it round rather than shaking it up and down. The mixture gets hot from the reaction. If you swirl it thoroughly for a minute or so five or six times over a period of time the lye will completely dissolve in the methanol, forming sodium methoxide or potassium methoxide. As soon as the liquid is clear with no undissolved particles you can begin the process.

The more you swirl the container the faster the lye will dissolve. With NaOH it can take from overnight to a few hours to as little as half-an-hour with lots of swirling (but don't be impatient, wait for ALL the lye to dissolve). Mixing KOH is much faster, it dissolves in the methanol more easily than NaOH and can be ready for use in 10 minutes.

Using a blender. Use a spare blender you don't need or get a cheap secondhand one -- cheap because it might not last very long, but it will get you going until you build something better.

Check that the blender seals are in good order. Make sure all parts of the blender are clean and dry and that the blender components are tightly fitted.

Pre-heat the oil to 55 deg C (130 deg F) and pour it into the blender.

With the blender still switched off, carefully pour the prepared methoxide from the HDPE container into the oil.

Secure the blender lid tightly and switch on. Lower speeds should be enough. Blend for at least 20 minutes.

Using a mini-processor. Follow the instructions below and improvise where necessary -- there are many ways of building a processor like this.

Proceed with processing as above, maintain temperature at 55 deg C (130 deg F), process for one hour.

www AGUA-LUNA com

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at  www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World... Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY... All With Just One Click of A Mouse...For more info Visit:  

www AGUA-LUNA com

Stop Global Warming!!!

Answer 4

That would be the people who wanted to avoid using Soylent Green in the future.

Brazil started it on a serious scale.  Sugar cane has a whole lot more energy in it than hemp and makes excellent beverages too, what more could you want.  The rain forest is being cut down for the timber and mining, how would any of this not be a 'political issue' in any event, at least the otherwise pesky Indians get a small voice as governments are involved.

Answer 5

Ethanol, both a liquor and a fuel, has been around in the form of Moonshine Whiskey since 15th Century Scotland.

In 1908, Ford Motor Company's first car, The Model T, used ethanol corn alcohol gasoline as fuel energy.

Since 2003, ethanol has grown rapidly as the oxygenating factor for gasoline. Ethanol replaced MTBE for oxygenating fuel, since almost all states now have banned MTBE, due to groundwater contamination, health and environmental concerns.  

Ethanol blend fuels for gas powered engines have been around for about 180 years; Ethanol is now found at most public gas stations nationwide, sue to mandates/laws and recommendations in the Alternative Motor Fuels Act (1988), Clean Air Act (1990), Energy Policy Act (2005) and most importantly - The Renewable Fuel Standard Program (RFS) - Signed September 2006.

1826 Samuel Morey developed an engine that ran on ethanol and turpentine.

1850's During the Civil War, a liquor tax was placed on ethanol whisky, also called Moonshine, to raise money for the war.

1876 Otto Cycle was the first combustion engine designed to use alcohol and gasoline.

1896 Henry Ford built his first automobile, the quadricycle, to run on pure ethanol.

1920's Standard Oil began adding ethanol to gasoline to increase octane and reduce engine knocking.

1908 The first Ford Motor Company automobile, Henry Ford's Model T, was designed to use corn alcohol, called ethanol. The Model T ran on (ethanol) alcohol, fuel or a combination of the two fuels.

1940's First U.S. fuel ethanol plant built. The U.S. Army built and operated an ethanol plant in Omaha, Nebraska, to produce fuel for the army and to provide ethanol for regional fuel blending.

1940's to late 1970's Virtually no commercial fuel ethanol was sold to the general public in the U.S. - due to the low price of gasoline fuel.

1975 U.S. begins to phase out lead in gasoline.  MTBE eventually replaced lead.

Note: Later, between 2004 to 2006, MTBE banned in almost all states, due to groundwater contamination and health risks.

1980's Oxygenates added to gasoline included MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether - made from natural gas and petroleum) and ETBE (Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether - made from ethanol and petroleum).

1988 Denver, Colorado, mandated ethanol oxygenates fuels for winter use to control carbon monoxide emissions. Other cities followed.

1990 Clean Air Act Amendments - Mandated the winter use of oxygenated fuels in 39 major carbon monoxide non-attainment areas (based on EPA emissions standards for carbon dioxide not being met) and required year-round use of oxygenates in 9 severe ozone non-attainment areas in 1995.

The Clean Air Act (1990) and Alternative Motor Fuels Act (1988) contain provisions for mandating oxygenated fuel (RFG =Ethanol and MTBE). Requirements set for 2 types of clean-burning gasoline, RFG Federal Reformulated Gasoline and Wintertime Oxygenated Fuel.

1995 The EPA began requiring the use of reformulated gasoline year round in metropolitan areas with the most smog.

1995 EPA issues public bulletin warning for Boaters called...

1999 Some states began to pass bans on MTBE because traces of it were showing up in drinking water sources.

2003 California began switching from MTBE to ethanol to make reformulated gasoline.

California was the first state to completely ban MTBE, effective January 1, 2004.

Late 1990's to Present  Major U.S. auto manufacturers begin selling Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV's), that can run on up to 85% ethanol. About 5 million FFV's/AFV's are on the road today.

2003 to Present Almost ALL states have followed California's lead, banning MTBE, (a few states still have lawsuits pending with the EPA for exemption from MTBE ban), resulting in MTBE being replaced by ethanol nationwide.

2005 The Energy Policy Act of 2005, written by the EPA is responsible for regulations to ensure that gasoline sold in the United States contains a minimum volume of renewable fuel (ethanol is a renewable fuel).

April 2005 Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP - OMC) is the first marine manufacturer to receive the EPA "Clean Air Excellence Award", for their newly re-designed outboard engine called the Evinrude ETec.

Spring 2006 Many outboard owners report marine damage and severe engine failure from use of ethanol blend fuels - Investigations reveal gas they used had ethanol content of 15-40%, well about the safe legal limit. See 1995 EPA warnings to boat owners.

September 7, 2006 The Renewable Fuel Standard Program (RFS) is signed. This national renewable fuel program is designed to encourage the blending of renewable fuels (ethanol) into our nation's motor vehicle fuel.  The nationwide Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), will double the use of ethanol and biodiesel by 2012.

ETHANOL USE - HISTORY BY INDUSTRY

AIRCRAFT:

FAA banned ethanol a long time ago (around the 1960's) for use in aircraft. - 2006 FAA and EEA issues statements to the public, warning never to use ethanol in aircraft, since ethanol blends are now widespread at (non-aircraft) gas pumps.

MARINE:

Late 1990's - Present: Marine Manufacturers, who once advised against using alcohol in marine engines, now change the instructions in owner's manuals to allow 10% fuel blends in most marine engines.

Modifications were made to most outboard engines 1990's - present to allow the safe use of ethanol 10%.

http://www.fuel-testers.com/ethanol_fuel...

The corporate left supported bio fuels, socialists like myself never did.

http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?p=176

http://www.isj.org.uk/index.php4?id=369&...

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php...

http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?JServSe...

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2007/706/366...

It became obvious very soon to all intelligent people bio fuels were and are not a sustainable alternative. Many politicians including "big change" candidate Obama had more than noble environmental motives in promoting ethanol.

On energy policy, it turns out Obama is a big supporter of corn-based ethanol which is well known for being an energy-intensive crop to grow. It is estimated that seven barrels of oil are required to produce eight barrels of corn ethanol, according to research by the Cato Institute. Ethanol’s impact on climate change is nominal and isn’t “green” according to Alisa Gravitz, Co-op America executive director. “It simply isn’t a major improvement over gasoline when it comes to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”

So why would Obama be touting this as a solution to our oil dependency? Could it have something to do with the fact that the first presidential primary is located in Iowa, corn capitol of the country? In legislative terms this means Obama voted in favor of $8 billion worth of corn subsidies in 2006 alone, when most of that money should have been committed to alternative energy sources such as solar, tidal and wind.

http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.ph...

Cultivating hemp is not allowed under domestic and International treaties because it's considered drugs

http://www.tinroofvideo.com/page/page/55...

Answer 6

George Washington Carver is the renown agricultural scientist who, among other incredible discoveries, developed the multiple uses of the soy bean.

Answer 7

when people start demanding, others panic, we don't often think things through in a crisis 'when we are running from a wild animal, we tend to blindly leap forward into a pit of snakes"

Answer 8

umm whos bright idea was it to use gas? at least food doesnt kill the environment. and besides wiki lies all the time

Answer 9

Read "the clean energy Crisis" from TIME magazine.