Why isn't the US investing in Sugarcane as an alternative fuel source?

Question

Brazil has been growing and converting sugarcane for over 20 years now. The energy produced from the sugarcane is 7 times greater than that of corn.

Maybe it's our climate? Brazil and Hawaii are both humid but so is a lot of states. Thoughts?

Answer 1

This far North of the Equator, Corn grows much easier than Sugar Cane, which can only be grown in Florida, Louisiana, and maybe a couple of other places.

Answer 2

Using food crops like corn and sugar cane to make fuel is not wise.  First of all the demand for fuel made for food stuff will drive up the cost of that food stuff as farmers sell their crops where it is most profitable.

Do you want to pay $5 for corn on the cob?  Do you want to pay $10 for a box of corn flakes?  What about all the corn syrup that is used in other food products?

And we are not even sure that ethanl makes economic sense.

Answer 3

Climate. Sugar beets, however, can be grown here in the USA.  My personal preference is to not use food sources for fuel. I have 2 cars that run on natural gas, which is cheap, clean and plentiful. That's the direction I'd like the nation to go.

Answer 4

dont quote me on this but i think it has to do with our climate....switchgrass is much better to use anyway, its more efficient than corn and easier to grow

Answer 5

Sugarcane would supply fuel requirements without environment problems.

Infact:

-only one eighth of Brazil(about 100 million hectares) would produce more than Saudi Arabia oil production...

-only one fourth of Mozambique would produce about 100 million tonnes of ethanol that is equivalent(without using ethanol fuel cells) to about Spain+France  oil consumption by the road transport sector...

Idon't know why us investors are not sure about ethanol...

Answer 6

I currently run ethanol (corn alcohol) 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.

Most vehicles are already equipped to run on Alternative Energy. In fact you’re probably even driving one right now and didn’t even know it. Go to www agua-luna com for a list of this vehicles

The following are a couple types of products to make ethanol easily. There are however many materials one can use including sugar cane, corn, wood, etc. The information was cut directly from a guide I offer at www agua-luna com, it is complete but if anyone’s interested in other types of foods to use or a more specific step by step of the process, including building your own still legally, visit www agua-luna com

"THE usual sources of raw material for alcohol Ethanol production from starch are cereal grains such as corn, wheat, rye, barley, milo (sorghum grains), rice, etc. Other types of starch are available from potatoes of all kinds, Jerusalem artichokes, and other high-starch vegetables. Starch conversion is the standard method of production and the one we will discuss here.

It is possible, however, to make alcohol from sugar-producing plants (saccharine material) such as sugar beets, sugarcane, fruits, and others. These substances need no milling (as do grains), but they do require some kind of grinding or squeezing process. Rapid, efficient fermentation of these sugars has not been as well explored as the process using starch.

A third source of fermentables is cellulose, as found in wood and waste sulphite liquor. This more complex process requires the use of acids to reduce the material to wood sugars. Consequently, most do-it-yourselfers should stick to either starch or sugar.

MILLING

All grains must be ground before mashing to expose the starch granules and help them remain in suspension in a water solution. The grain should be ground into a meal -- not a flour! -- that will pass a 20-mesh screen. On a hammermill, however, a 3/16" screen will suffice.

Potatoes and similar high-moisture starch crops should be sliced or finely chopped. Since potato starch granules are large and easily ruptured, it isn't necessary to maintain the hard rapid boil which is required of the tougher, dryer "flinty" starches found in grains.

CONVERSION WITH ENZYMES

For small batches (5 bushels or less), fill the cooker with water (30 gallons per bushel), and add the meal slowly, to prevent lumps from forming. (When, cooking with steam, or at higher temperatures, it is possible to save energy by using less water at the beginning. But for the "small batcher" with an ordinary cooking apparatus, the most complete conversion is obtained by using the full amount of water right from the start to encourage a rapid rolling boil.)

Next, add 3 measuring spoons -- as provided -- per bushel of Alpha Amylase Enzyme (mixed in water) to the mixture and raise the temperature of the mash to 170 deg F (77 deg C), the optimum working environment for the enzyme. Hold the solution at that temperature for 15 minutes while agitating it vigorously.

At this point all the starch available at 170 deg F has been converted to dextrins, so it's time to raise the temperature of the mash to the boiling point. The concoction should be liquid enough to roll at its own rate -- if not, add 2 to 3 gallons of water. Hold the boil for 30 minutes to complete the liquefaction stage. All the starches are now in solution.

Now reduce the temperature to 170 deg F, using the cooling coil, and add 3 more measuring spoons per bushel of Alpha Amylase Enzyme (mixed in water). After 30 minutes of agitation at this temperature, all the previously released starches will have been reduced to dextrins, thereby completing primary conversion.

During secondary conversion the dextrins are further reduced to simple sugars (maltose and glucose) by the beta, or -- to be more exact -- glucoamylase enzymes. You need Alpha Amylase Enzyme and the yeast necessary to carry out secondary conversion and proper fermentation simultaneously, you can add 6 measuring spoons per bushel of the fermentation powder (mixed in water) as soon as you've brought the temperature down to 85 deg F (29 deg C) using the cooling coils."

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, Receive a FREE Solar Panels Now!!!

Answer 7

When they wrote up the ethanol package it included huge tariffs on ethanol from sugar to make sure that corn was the only thing that can realistically happen here in the U.S.

  That way our ag-industry & the oil companies could keep making money, cuz' that corn's grown w/a lot of oil.

  & I  caught part of a program on N.P.R.'s Science Friday where this researcher in some little university was saying he'd come up w/a way to make not ethanol to be used as an additive to gas, but an actual analogue to gasoline from any cellulose, & he can't find any-one who's interested in bank-rolling it.

Answer 8

Because the U.S wants to continue to capitalize and get richer off of oil.

Answer 9

though sugar cane and corn make great ethanol fuel, there is a little bit of a problem according to engineers at General Motors. To make the ethanol fuel, you need to use A LOT gas to convert it into E-85 fuel, even more then just driving your car. Though ethanol is a fuel of the future, the method of making it needs to be refined a little more befor it can be totally used.

Answer 10

You got it, the stuff won't grow properly.  And in Brazil they have the whole rainforest to cut down for land to grow gas.  A lot of the farmable land in North America is already under cultivation.

Answer 11

I think your question has been asked and answered in the Y/A a while ago. However, there is a new kind of energy is generated by water as it appeared on TV a few days ago. H2O was the license plate form the back of the newly invented small car. I guess it was in Japan.

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AlRD...

Answer 12

I hope they will figure something out