The future of ethanol is not in corn...you are probably correct in that corn is expensive to produce.  The future in ethanol is in plant waste or crops/grasses that are not expensive to produce.  Plant waste is a byproduct of existing food production, and grasses don't require the intensive agricultural practices that corn requires.  Furthermore there are many acres in the southeast that could produce sugar cane, and from what I understand, the experience in Brazil is that sugar cane is a very efficient source of ethanol.
   Biodiesel made from used vegetable oil is hardly a route to energy independence except for hobbyists.  How much used veggie oil is out there anyway, and veggie oil costs money to produce as well.
   Now, I would be VERY interested in learning about the efficiencies of producing biodiesel from raw field crops...and I have heard rumors of biodiesel produced efficiently from certain types of algae.
   The answers are there, but it will take massive amounts of private capital and vision and purpose to make it happen.
Anthony
'89 Syncro GL (Hidalgo)

Jeffrey Olson <jjolson@GWTC.NET> wrote: It's interesting to read how ethanol is being touted as one major avenue
to energy independence.  While it is but one strategy amongst many,
there is a wealth of literature out there that demonstrates more energy
is consumed producing a gallon of ethanol - 71% by one 1998 source -
than is generated when ethanol is burned.

http://hubbert.mines.edu/news/Pimentel_98-2.pdf

With the rise in gasoline costs, ethanol becomes more attractive.  Yet
there is substantial use of oil based products in corn production and
those costs are rising too.  It would be interesting to see at what
point the cost of a gallon of gasoline and a gallon of ethanol is the
same.  Perhaps we've already reaching the tipping point...?

Jeff Olson
Martin, SD

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