February 01, 2006
I'd rather switch
During his speech last night, Mr. Bush talked about various types of energy, including ethanol made from switchgrass. What the hell is switchgrass? Well, somebody has actually thought of using it as a biofuel.
Biofuel is fuel derived from plants. One biofuel, ethanol, is primarily made from corn and grain sorghum and blended with gasoline, but ethanol also can be made from other plant matter, waste dairy products and grasses such as switchgrass. Research has shown that, with the right infrastructure, ethanol could be produced from switchgrass more efficiently than from corn.[snip]
"Ethanol is blended with petrofuels to increase combustion and decrease pollutants. The problem is, most ethanol now in use is made from corn, and the total energy output/input ratio is about 1.2. This means the net energy gain from corn ethanol is about 21 percent. The energy output/input ratio for switchgrass is estimated at 4.4, representing a net energy gain of 334 percent."
Personally, I think is pie in the sky (or in the dirt) compared to the amount of energy which could be conserved by upping the automobile fuel economy standards, but I thought you'd like to know.
Posted by Linkmeister at February 1, 2006 03:48 PM | TrackBackI recall there was a segment on this morning's NPR Morning Edition about a Berkeley professor who's ruffling a few feathers over his assertion that it takes more energy to make ethanol (from corn, presumably) than you get from burning it.
Posted by: Keith at February 2, 2006 08:27 AMI didn't hear it (or maybe I just missed it), but I think that's been one of the complaints the opponents have been making for years. I'm not sure, but I think that may be part of the reason why bagasse isn't a bigger part of our own energy sources here.
Posted by: Linkmeister at February 2, 2006 08:31 AM