Bill M Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 The production of ethanol does very little to deplete food supplies. Ethanol uses the starch from the corn which the cows have little use for. Once the plant removes the starch it makes for good ag food for cows. The corn that is used is not the kind people normally consume anyways. The byproduct of corn ethanol is like what would be left over making moonshine and that has been fed to cows for many years. The biggest waste is that of fresh water and natural gas which is used in massive amounts to supply ethanol plants. After all is said and done there is only about a 5% btu gain. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Soot is harmless though right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Actually, it's not that bad compared to some of the other stuff that comes out the tail pipe.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austinkroe Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 (edited) Soot is harmless though right? Somewhat harmless except in the case of how I use it. I use my soot for tailgaters. If you cruise around in your diesel long enough at low rpms then you can build up the soot in the tailpipes. When someone unnecessarily tailgates me all I have to do is drop a gear and run up the rpms to get the soot out. I have found that there is nothing like a black cloud of smoke to deter tailgating. My Jetta will do it on the highway but it is not super impressive. However, the '89 diesel Suburban (22-26mpg hwy) I learned to drive on and drove for years could do it with impressive results (tailpipes on both sides of the car with a 6.2L engine). Save your soot and use it wisely; someone needs it but not everyone deserves it. Matt will have to comment on what exactly soot is and if it is bad or good(see above). Edited October 2, 2008 by austinkroe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 My truck in daily driver mode will make over 370 HP and 800 lb/ft at the wheels using less than full throttle, so I know full well what soot is used for in daily driver situations. It is near 500 hp and 1000 lb/ft at the flywheel. Ever lit a torch with a rosebud tip with no oxygen on? I can do that times a thousand..... Gotta love the weather we have had the last couple days, my truck runs awesome in this weather. Mid to upper 50's and humidity less than 40%. It will only sustain 38 pounds of boost but the cold intake air and the cold air on the charge air cooler works wonders. It really needs a 4 in 4 out turbo but snapping shafts isn't my bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 If I may insert my .02 on alternate fuels. Ethanol- would be great but it requires, at this time, more energy to make than it supplies. I would have to dig a while for my reference, but this was a direct quote to Popular Science from the manager of an ethanal plant. All I can see that it is doing now is driving up my taxes as payed in subsidies to farmers to grow corn and ethanol plants to make alchohol. Not to mention that it is not available to non-governmental folks in south Alabama, south Mississippi and northwest Florida. Biodiesel- I work with a gentleman who has produced biodiesel for the last 4-5 years. His cost are primarily for methanol. His cost for making his biofuel is about $.60/gal. At this time his oil is free and only cost his time to pick it up. He produces enough for his family and actually sells some to co-workers as it is available. True enough there is not enough cooking oil to run the country, but for those who take the time and make the effort, it can be very cost effective. I don't believe any one fuel or car or magic elixar will cure our problems. However, every little bit helps. As for the little Ford Diesel, I'd buy one in a minute if it were available. fwiw jmho dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 If I may insert my .02 on alternate fuels.Ethanol- would be great but it requires, at this time, more energy to make than it supplies. Hi DaJarrel - that was true prior to 1998, but the fact today is: "Ethanol production results in a net energy gain—producing 67 percent more energy than it takes to grow and process the corn into ethanol." Check here: http://www.ethanolfacts.com/ETHL2008/page.php?pgID=19 Not only that, the vehicles to run ethanol have been on the road for YEARS - any Chevy or Ford that says "Flex Fuel" on the back can run 85% ethanol - including almost all our police cruisers (they even run faster on alcohol over gasoline) and the only pump we need to change is the county fuel depot where they gas up, plus they can go back to gasoline at any second. Its beyond me why our government does not force itself to use E85. Moreover, you can build an ethanol plant in the USA, but its almost impossible to build a new petroleum refinery (first new one in 30 years is going to be in S. Dakota I believe). It gets better: with the new cellulosic ethanol, we use NO food corn or other food products- its just waste like corn cobs or even waste paper. Same ethanol plants we have are used for it. Ethanol works for Brazil and once we stop using corn, it will work for us too. As for corn, its also to blame (in part) for our obesity & diabetes problems. Here is a good documentary with quotes from our own farmers about how bad our corn has become (due in part to subsidies): http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/kingcorn/ Regards, D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gundry Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 It gets better: with the new cellulosic ethanol, we use NO food corn or other food products- its just waste like corn cobs or even waste paper. Same ethanol plants we have are used for it. Ethanol works for Brazil and once we stop using corn, it will work for us too. Carlos, Brazil is a pretty horrible example of how to make a country run on Ethanol & Biodiesel. The amount of land they cultivated to make it happen is staggering. Considering that some of that land was also rainforest land makes it even more tragic. And I'm not a hippie - just don't think we should piss off Mother Nature any more than we have already. Throwing off the already unstable balance probably isn't a good thing. Some reading for you to consider: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1725975,00.html While we can make ethanol from waste products, I would like to know why a substantial amount of farms up here, and all over the country, are now growing corn where they were once growing beans, ginseng, etc. Oh yeah, government subsidies. If they are not growing those other products - then who is? Everything costs something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 If I may insert my .02 on alternate fuels.Ethanol- would be great but it requires, at this time, more energy to make than it supplies. Hi DaJarrel - that was true prior to 1998, but the fact today is: "Ethanol production results in a net energy gain—producing 67 percent more energy than it takes to grow and process the corn into ethanol." ..... Regards, D. D. It is entirely possible that my information is dated, although I believe it would be no more than a couple of years old. But, let's follow the money. Check out this link on corn and ethanol subsidies. A lot of money is being poured into the growing of corn and its conversion to ethanol. zfacts - corn subsidies fwiw dj ps. And I still can't get it in south Alabama dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 And I still can't get it in south Alabama dj You can get liquid corn in Alabama, but it comes in mason jars and you shouldn't smoke while handling it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now