The Problems With Ethanol

[horkn]

[QUOTE=swc5150;147504]

I still find it funny that in SE Wisconsin we have been using E10 for nearly 20 years now. Outside of the first couple seasons of varnish and old gas residue getting cleaned out of the fuel system by the alcohol, there have been really no issues.QUOTE]

To me, the fact that this product needs to be subsidized by the feds is a big issue. Regardless of the arguments of its performance, it's simply not a product that survives in the open market with gov kickbacks. I know the excuse of reducing our dependency on foreign oil, but the private sector is superior to government as a problem-solver because private transactions require the consent of all parties to them. When government interacts with people/markets, there is always at least one party that is forced to participate and that is, therefore, abused and exploited.

Sorry for getting political, but this is, in fact a purely political issue.

It does not have to be political.

Once algae, and not corn, is used to make ethanol, will your opinion change? Having supplied machinery to the ethanol companies, I am well aware of the intricacies of ethanol. Using algae to make ethanol yields a lot more alcohol than using corn, but the technology to make ethanol from algae is not as cost effective yet. Once it is more cost effective to make ethanol with algae, we will not only see more yield of ethanol from less organic matter, but the burden on the corn market will be alleviated. In addition, wastewater treatment facilities are slated to grow algae to make the ethanol out of. The algae will also help clean the water in the treatment facility, helping out in that way too. It's pretty ingenious really, but not quite there yet.

Corn was used at first because it was plentiful and cheap, and easy to make ethanol with. Once the tech is less cost prohibitive to make ethanol with algae, the subsidy argument will go away, but you have to start somewhere with new technology and new product.

FWIW, feeding corn to many food animals is a bad idea and studies have shown that it makes a poor quality feed because the corn is not a natural food for cows, fish, and other animals. I hate to get graphic, but when humans eat corn, you can see it come out largely undigested in their waste. yes sick and disgusting, but that is exactly what happens with livestock. It's filler.


So many just don't realize these facts, and the next time you have corn with dinner, you will remember this story a short time afterward, like it or not.