Ethanol False Economy

Thirdly, the cost of biofuel is high because its production and infrastructural cost is humongous. To create biofuel, large tracts of land need to be cleared for setting up the plant. This is not feasible because of global economic meltdown whose one major disadvantage is the rising food prices. If the land that could be better used for producing the much needed food crops, there is no need to use the same land for generating biofuels (FAO 07). Furthermore, the cost of establishing and running a biofuel plant runs into billions. Where would the money come from? Of course, the people have to pay for them, doubly, first for purchasing biofuel and secondly in the form of taxes. Ironically, the common man cannot afford such expenses given the current economic situation, which if not controlled will create more problems in the future like unemployment, an issue more important than debating biofuels and diesel fuels (Stern 07).

According to VisionLaunch, people are worried about their papers full of responsibility: money. This corn fuel drives up the price of food products. This means that corn is more expensive since it is being used for fuel. It is a fact that corn is being used more for fuel than food, which is why it is more expensive. Subsidies are to help take care of that problem and reduce the amount of money corn is worth. However, there is a problem because the subsidies are funded by taxpayers which is not affecting us or

Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel produced from the waste of corn, and its potential for minimalizing pollution is huge. The first company to find the breakthrough, DSM, gained recognition, but was met with obstacles in the production of this biofuel in the form of rocks, which contaminated the corn waste and clogged the machinery. However, DSM soon overcame this obstacle and now produces truckloads of cellulosic ethanol every week. This environmentally friendly biofuel is everywhere, ranging from animal feed to solar panels. DSM is aimed towards “improving the planet and the lives of people on it”. Feike Sijbesma, the CEO of DSM, states that the company values “People. Planet. Profit” and is geared towards addressing malnutrition and climate

In my opinion, corn is a renewable resource and should be used as a new source of energy.In paragraph 1 on page 1,it states,”Caron is processed to produce different energy products.For example,corn can be used to create ethanol.” this shows an example on about how corn can be a new source of energy. It is grown with solar energy so it is a renewable resource,and there will be plenty to go around for the U.S. and the WORLD!

In the United States, ethanol is primarily used as a blending element in the production of gas and as an alternative fuel. More than 95% of the gasoline sold in the United States contains ethanol. Most of ethanol blending into U.S. motor gasoline occurs to meet the requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act (RFG Fuel) and the Renewable Fuel Standard set forth in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. (U.S Energy Information Administration)

The higher price of ethanol in many areas is made worse by ethanol’s second disadvantage that it, regardless of the price you pay for it, contains less fuel efficient energy than gasoline. In short, this means cars won’t travel as far on a tank of gas, and most cars fuel economy will decrease by 20-30 percent. This is very

In the words of Lester Brown, “We are witnessing the beginning of one of the great tragedies of history.” Numerous people just like Brown believe the urge the United States has to reduce foreign oil will soon cause a major shortage of food. In 2011, the United States used 45% of that year’s corn crop to produce ethanol. With such a high percentage of corn used for ethanol, it causes a shortage of corn for food. The Untied States is not as efficient at making ethanol compared to feeding people. A bushel of corn can produce 2 .77 gallons of ethanol. With the same amount of corn, America can feed 1.4 persons for a day.

Ethanol is now found in most gasolines, except for the few and far between pumps that sell ethanol-free fuel. Ethanol acts as a “filler” in gasoline, because it is much cheaper than many gasoline components, however it comes at a price because ethanol infused gasoline procures about 33% less energy than ethanol free gasoline, dropping its competitiveness towards diesel even more. (Energy, 2015) Ethanol gasoline types include E10, E15, and E85. E10 represents gasoline with a 10% ethanol content, which is the norm now for most gasoline types, and what will mostly likely be in normal unleaded gasoline. E15, 15% ethanol, can only be used in flex-fuel or light duty cars because it produces not nearly enough power to run a large gasoline engine without major modifications. (Energy, 2015) E85, meaning that it is composed of 85% ethanol gasoline mixture (51-83% ethanol), and can only be used by special flex-fuel

The USDA should allow farmers more land for cultivation of switch grass, and less land for corn because switch grass grown for the purpose of producing ethanol will have many more benefits both economically and environmentally compared to corn, which has many harmful outcomes.

For over forty years now, scientists and researchers have been tirelessly searching for an alternative to fossil fuels. Biofuels have become an interesting contender in the search for the replacement of the non-renewable energy source. Biofuels have been used throughout history for over thousands of years. There is a large debate over biofuels and its true impact on the environment. Those involved in the discussion debating whether biofuels have any real overwhelming benefits compared to fossil fuels could argue for its usage. According to recent research performed by the University of Michigan, biofuels may not be the best alternative for fossil fuels. Regardless of its impact on the environment, biofuels are becoming more popular particularly when the price of oil rises.

Ethanol fuel is typically just made from plant biomass by pretreatment, fermentation, and distillation, which is very much the same way that beer and liquors are produced.

First, producing ethanol from corn or rice is really economic. The first benefit of corn-based ethanol would be on agriculture and industry. Corn is cheap and easy to produce domestically; therefore, producers do not need to import raw material from foreign countries. Consequently, ethanol price will be lower in comparison with other energy like oil or gas. It will lead to cheaper transportation costs by using bio-fuels. More importantly, transportations relate to every field of the economy, so lower price of transportation will bring more profits to the whole economy. Besides, price of corn also creep up since high demands of corn that impulse the planters' income and creating more jobs for farmers. In addition, when the government supports for corn production on a concentrated area, maize agriculture will be more productive and effective than before. Both consumers and producers can earn profits and that amount of profits will contributes significantly to the nation's GDP growth. Thus, if we merge

This essay will first discuss the advantages of using corn ethanol as the main source of fuel in the future, such as the renewable features of corn itself, and the benefits of using corn ethanol as an additive of gasoline instead of using gasoline alone. However, everything has its strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, the second part of the essay will discuss some of the weaknesses in applying the fuel into practical usage. For example, corn ethanol currently encounters technical limitations serving itself as a standalone fuel, meaning that corn ethanol can only function by combining itself with a certain amount of gasoline, while gasoline is a kind of fossil fuel. Lastly, this essay will conduct a comparison with other renewable resources in the world, including solar power, other biofuels, and hydrogen fuel.

What environmental benefits do we receive form an influx in ethanol as an alternative fuel? First let’s look

In order for renewable energies to compete with the established fossil fuels, the playing field must be level. “The Congressional Research Service notes that fossil fuel subsidies are … as old as fossil fuels … and for more than 90 years have taken subsidies via generous tax breaks” (awea.org). One recent attempt to analyze subsidies on all levels pegged “2006 federal fiscal subsidies for energy at nearly $75 billion, with over 85% of those subsidies going to fossil fuels ($49 billion), nuclear energy ($9 billion), and ethanol ($6 billion). The remaining $10 billion in federal subsidies were split between the broad array of renewable energies with wind receiving 3.4%, solar 2.8%, and hydroelectric 2.2%.” The massive subsidies to fossil fuels originate primarily from