tommysativa’s Recent Comments

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  so many factors for consideration

  
  such as:

  ...the evolution of cellulosic technologies, which could then shift the focus from the sugars and starches in corn to broader cellulose-based agricultural byproducts. This could potentially flood the market with cheap, domestic fuel produced mainly from waste. Consumers would then need to put demands on auto manufacturers to start producing more vehicles that could run on higher percentage blends of ethanol (currently what we call flex-fuel vehicles). As well, I think we cannot ignore the ingenuity of folks like those who fired up the whole bio-diesel resurgence. Some are already looking at ways to retrofit gasoline engines so that they can run on non-denatured alcohol (pulling the water out of alcohol requires a substantial amount of effort and energy).

  I think the farmer's cooperatives would be wise to stay on the cutting edge of technologies, whether it's in turning their waste to fuel or networking with folks who are retrofitting engines to run on the stuff. That combination will prove to be the more sustainable model which can be implemented in nearly any locality. Even areas that are in short supply of agricultural waste, could potentially use cellulose from the consumer and commercial wastestream.On The shining promise of ethanol doesn't add up for farmers posted 3 years ago 3 Responses