non-corn Ethanol

[RWebb]

Ethanol, Minus The Corn: It Could Fuel America If It Weren't Illegal - Forbes

[Tim Hancock]

Too bad so much time and money is being wasted on non financially viable forms of energy. We need to building new nuclear plants... lots of them.

[tharbert]

This sounds like a better idea than corn based ethanol and would still be legal.

[teenerted1]

ethanol production solves nothing.
less efficient so the polution saving is off set by using more fuel to make up for the lose of power and MPG
you need fuel to process ethanol so the saving of not using oil is lost too.
and it messes up parts of the fuel system in your car leading to more junked parts and cars in the landfills, that should be keep on the road.
i'm all for efficientcy but booze in my gas isnt the solution.

[jyl]

KiOR, Inc. - Home

This company is building plants that will use, initially, southern yellow pine.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

We need to building new nuclear plants... lots of them.

Agree, but the Japanese handling of Fukushima pretty much blew that for the world.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by jyl

Agree, but the Japanese handling of Fukushima pretty much blew that for the world.

That is possible. But how many places will experience a 9+ earthquake and a huge tidal wave? Not likely to ever happen again.

[legion]

I prefer my ethanol made from molasses, blue agave, wheat, or barley.

[sammyg2]

The only thing that is keeping that company from competing in the market is their grossly over-expensive product. Even after $1.5 billion in taxpayer grants those companies are still going under, because the stuff they make is waaay too expensive and not competitive.

And they blame that on Washington? It's stimply a stupid idea.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

Too bad so much time and money is being wasted on non financially viable forms of energy. We need to building new nuclear plants... lots of them.

turning coal and natural gas into a liquid fuel for cars is bad???


I am also surprised to hear that you are such a big fan of battery electric cars -- or do you plan to put those new nuclear plants into cars directly somehow?

[jyl]

Again, I agree. But it doesn't matter. After each major nuclear plant meltdown, the industry is forced back into hibernation mode until memories fade. Reality.

Quote de jyl

Agree, but the Japanese handling of Fukushima pretty much blew that for the world.

That is possible. But how many places will experience a 9+ earthquake and a huge tidal wave? Not likely to ever happen again.

[stealthn]

One word; switchgrass

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by stealthn

One word; switchgrass

Takes more energy to extract it than you get from the extract. negative energy producer.

A buddy of mine was the CEO of an algae bio-scam company until about a year or when he retired.
Companies like that exist for one reason and one reason only, to gather up and spend gubmint money.
He told me the bio-fuel they were producing cost about $22 a gallon to produce but if the gubmint gives them enough gazillions they'll be able to ramp up and get it down into the $15/gallon range.
What a deal!

Oh one other thing, the pollutants they create to refine that algae into fuel are more than would be created by the conventional fuel they are trying to replace. So much for green energy.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Takes more energy to extract it than you get from the extract. negative energy producer.

A buddy of mine was the CEO of an algae bio-scam company until about a year or when he retired.
Companies like that exist for one reason and one reason only, to gather up and spend gubmint money.
He told me the bio-fuel they were producing cost about $22 a gallon to produce but if the gubmint gives them enough gazillions they'll be able to ramp up and get it down into the $15/gallon range.
What a deal!

Oh one other thing, the pollutants they create to refine that algae into fuel are more than would be created by the conventional fuel they are trying to replace. So much for green energy.

Let's keep the facts out of this. Green isn't about feasibility, return on investment, or science.......it's about how it makes you FEEL.

[carr914]

Originally Posted by tharbert

This sounds like a better idea than corn based ethanol and would still be legal.

Problem being, is that Article was written in 2008 & the Main Company featured (Range Fuels) went kaput after taking the Goverments $$$.

The fact is that there better things to make Ethanol out of than Corn. Sugar Cane, Switchgrass, Soy - I bet even Hemp would be better.

But the Corn Lobby is Strong and they don't want to give up their Profits

[emcon5]

Originally Posted by jyl

Agree, but the Japanese handling of Fukushima pretty much blew that for the world.

For Uranium reactors.

If someone built a liquid-fluoride thorium reactor, it would have been a non issue.
Brief overview:
TEDxYYC - Kirk Sorensen - Thorium - YouTube


There are a couple longer videos on YouTube that go into things in great detail, like this one:
LFTR in 5 Minutes - THORIUM REMIX 2011 | torij torija torio

Fascinating stuff.

[island911]

Originally Posted by legion

I prefer my ethanol made from molasses, blue agave, wheat, or barley.

Well, of course; but only Shade grown, Fair-trade, Humanely harvested, molasses, blue agave, wheat, or barley.

[RWebb]

re: switchgrass

sammy is talking about current technologies; the real issue is to genetically engineer it for Et-OH production - that is a research program

[Hugh R]

Nukes with a hydrogen economy.

[RWebb]

that'll be nice if we can scale it