Science a GoGo's Home Page Forums General Discussion General Science Discussion Forum The New Fuel(s) That Will Shape the Future

"Until recently, Brazil was better known for soccer and carnival than for leading the world into the future of energy consumption. But now Brazil is also famous for what might be called its "sweet gold." "Sweet" as in sugarcane, "gold" as in a fuel to replace "black gold" -- oil."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20060614/tc_nf/43806

This article also talks about use of hydrogen fuel cells and testing of prototypes. The entire article is not about ethanol, read the lower portion for the exciting news about fuel cells.

It'll be a shame if they have to clear more rainforest to grow it though. I wonder if sugar cane is vulnerable to disease a la the banana crisis we keep hearing about?

You make a good point, Kate. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I've also read some encouraging stuuf about converting cellulose to ethanol, thus providing a ready market for such things as straw and hay. Maybe it will become possible to turn straw into gold--ethanol--someday, like the fairy tale. I'm not holding my breath, though.

Cellulosic ethanol technology funded by DoE and DoD grants will help the spur of ethanol usage. Even then, BioDiesel seems to be one of the best trade offs than ethanol.

Bucha crap. It's not about how many calories you get out. It's about how many calories you put in to get one calorie out. Brazilian ethanol uses essentially slave labor on cleared Amazon jungle. Three years later they clear some more. Iowa uses fertilizer, insecticide, tractors, and government subsidies while the EPA eviscerates the process as a whole.

The entire planet's photosynthesis would supply 40% of US annual energy consumption - assuming no energy was expended in doing it. The engineering answer is more like 10%.

Science 312(5781) 1743-1747 (2006)

If you want net energy production then it is fossil fuels, hydroelectric, or nuclear. Solar and wind are sparrow farts. Anything photosynthetic is an inescapable loser.

Biomass starts out wet. Non-recoverable 540 cal/g heat of vaporization for water at 100 C, more at room temp. Are ya gonna power the American economy with green wood? Grass? Algae?