Crop residues are viewed as a low cost and readily available source of material for ethanol production. But these residues are not simply a waste material as they play a pivotal role in sustaining levels of organic matter in soil. Consequently, extensive removal of crop residues for ethanol production – or for other industrial purposes […]
Tag Archives | ethanol
“Ethanol subsidies a poor investment economically and environmentally,” study finds
To avoid creating greenhouse gases, it makes more sense using today’s technology to leave land unfarmed in conservation reserves than to plow it up for corn to make biofuel, according to a new Duke University-led study. “Converting set-asides to corn-ethanol production is an inefficient and expensive greenhouse gas mitigation policy that should not be encouraged […]
Race On To Increase Biofuel Yields
With controversy surrounding the economics of biofuel production and nagging doubts about its large-scale sustainability, researchers have now turned their attention to ways of producing biofuels more efficiently. Looking at ethanol production, Purdue University researchers say they have discovered that particles from cornstalks undergo previously unknown structural changes when processed to produce ethanol. They found […]
Ethanol Vehicles A Health Hazard
Ethanol advocates say that it’s a clean-burning fuel that is friendly to the environment. But a study by Stanford scientists found that if all US vehicles ran on ethanol, the number of respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations would likely increase. “Our results show that a high blend of ethanol poses an equal or greater risk to […]
Study Slams Economics Of Ethanol And Biodiesel
A new joint study from Cornell University and University of California-Berkeley says that fuels produced from biomass are uneconomical as they use much more energy in their creation than the resulting ethanol or biodiesel generates. “There is just no energy benefit to using plant biomass for liquid fuel,” said study author and Cornell researcher David […]