Re: Corn Ethanol at a Long Term Competitive Disadvantage
Jib,
Yeah corn based ethanol is expedient not efficient. We have corn, we know how to mash (a fascinating process one I should look into doing again shortly) it, we know how to ferment it, and we know how to distill it.
Over at Boots & Sabers I was in a discussion about ethanol and noted the depressed mileage Cornholio gets when I run ethanol through it. A commentator informed me E85 vehicles while capable of burning the high concentration of ethanol they are not optimized for ethanol, that the engineering prevents flex fuel vehicles from achieving the mileage they should. I asked about the energy content of ethanol vs. gasoline but have not revisited to view if there was a response.
Still, if we switch to ethanol whether based on corn or switch grass or what have you, there is going to be a need to use land to grow the raw material and I have this notion the land downtown Burbank is not what is going to be used.
Yeah corn based ethanol is expedient not efficient. We have corn, we know how to mash (a fascinating process one I should look into doing again shortly) it, we know how to ferment it, and we know how to distill it.
Over at Boots & Sabers I was in a discussion about ethanol and noted the depressed mileage Cornholio gets when I run ethanol through it. A commentator informed me E85 vehicles while capable of burning the high concentration of ethanol they are not optimized for ethanol, that the engineering prevents flex fuel vehicles from achieving the mileage they should. I asked about the energy content of ethanol vs. gasoline but have not revisited to view if there was a response.
Still, if we switch to ethanol whether based on corn or switch grass or what have you, there is going to be a need to use land to grow the raw material and I have this notion the land downtown Burbank is not what is going to be used.
Labels: Energy Ethanol
posted by Marcus Aurelius @ 5:00 PM
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