Making and Burning Ethanol

[lordoflightaz]

I just watched a show about cheese. The cow manure was used for fertilizer. The whey from making cheese was used to make ethanol. What was left over from the ethanol was feed to the cows. Heck of a lot better then using ears of corn to make ethanol.

 

[loquin]

Yes, corn is not the right crop to use. It's great for food - not so great for ethanol.

Brazil has a thriving ethanol production system, based on sugar cane. (Which much of the southern US could grow.) Using sugar-cane as the ethanol base-crop has several beneficial aspects:

• First, corn prices, which are being driven sky-high by ethanol production, can decrease to the more natural levels.
• Second, an additional cash crop can help rejuvenate southern farming, and utilize land which is often underutilized now.
• Third, since portable cane mills can squeeze the sap from the cane right at the field, you're not paying to transport the currently unusable cellulose and other byproducts to a processing plant, and then away from the processing plant after processing. Only the liquid sap (ethanol base-stock) is transported.
• Fourth, the sap, which is essentially a dilute syrup, can be fermented 'as is.' Ethanol production costs are much less than with a solid, starch-based base stock like corn.

Granted, ethanol isn't the permanent solution. But, an efficient ethanol production system, based on a renewable resource, can help bridge the gap until other approaches can be perfected.

 

[machiasmort]

Loquin,

Not out to argue with you... I used to feel the same way... The only way alcohol production would be pheasible is on small scale farms. The Government won't allow it's production there because of fear of bootlegging. There's a reason why that bottle of rot gut (1liter) booze costs $9 at only 50% alc by wt. It's expensive to make, even for the big distilers.

I looked into this extensively when I had my small farm in Machias. I could have easily grown 3-4 acres of corn (fuel for a year) inorder to convert and run my small B+S 10hp tractor (lawn variety) fabricated to take a small flat bottom plow. I would have saved an estimated 50% on fuel for the year (using a solar still), more energy to run! A small pay off for all of the work! When I contacted the apropriate offices (ATF), I was made aware of the red tape and fee's. It quickly became not worth it and did nothing but attract attention to my knowledge. I'm probably in a data base for admitting knowledge of running a still now!

I agree that sugar cane is the best crop. At lack of a Harvard degree (I don't know about you), why do our politicians seem so stupid to realize corn ain't the way? Or is there an alterior motive? Not sugesting they'd ever conspire to screw us or anything, I wouldn't want to wind up like Susane McDoogle.

Electric is the way to go. There is a clear reason why many of our towns (built 100yrs ago) are close to water ways and it's not because people liked their houses flooded! That little stream provided energy to turn a mill for storeing flour, ect.

Why are the idiots wasting our tax dollars researching tidal currents when there's proven technology already available? Stick a bunch of old steam ship style props in the Niagara river hooked to concrete blocks geared to generators and you'd light the other 1/2 of the Country. The problem is that there's to much big money and politics in energy.

 

[sparky]

I agree that sugar cane is the best crop. At lack of a Harvard degree (I don't know about you), why do our politicians seem so stupid to realize corn ain't the way? Or is there an alterior motive? Not sugesting they'd ever conspire to screw us or anything, I wouldn't want to wind up like Susane McDoogle.

I was gonna ask this earlier. Why is it that a direct democracy would be bad again? Because this bureaucracy of the elite isn't cuttin' it.

 

[duivendyk]

Politicians need big money to get reelected and they get a lot of it from special (corngrowers etc) interests, which are big in the cornbelt.If we cut down on the duration of this perpetual electioneering and/or elected them for say, four year terms instead of two.they wouldn't need to scrounge around for all the time for $$$$$ and (possibly) behave more responsibly.

 

[machiasmort]

Brother's we are of the very smartest of the smart in this Country when it comes to mechanics. Each and everyone of us posting to this board (that I see) is well beyond their time.

Try and go to a bar and have an adverage conversation with adverage people on some of these topics we discuss here.

We need to get active and put behind us trivial differences. We need a direction and to throw the old "stay the course" regime out, and quick.
Just my opinion.

Makes me feel good to know somebody was listening Sparky! Thanks!

 

[ZnsaneRyder]

Marijuana would be a great crop to use for Ethanol. It's fast growing, and Highly renewable. Also any plant waste material can be used for Ethanol making, and the flowers used for the medical business. Win Win There.

But there's all kinds of energy, and has been for years. However, the elites want us to keep buying their oil, Ethanol, or other energy they come up with. Tesla invented free distribution of electricity, but the powers that be didn't want it that way. It works that way with everything.

Batteries would be much cheaper and better quality for the avg consumer, but they remain expensive so it's hard to build any electric vehicles without spending lots of money. Chevron also bought the patents for Large-Size Nickel Metal Hydride batteries, because their interest is in you burning their fuel for $$$, not using cheap and available electricity.

***If better and more affordable Batteries were more available, I would be riding an electric bicycle for sure, and wouldn't even bother with gasoline AT ALL***

 

[machiasmort]

Pot would be an excellent crop to leagalize. It's cousin hemp is hard to differentiate from the air and subsequently illegal also.

A better use for either would be in textiles rather than alcohol. Not enough sugar in it Stude!!! The oils that both plants make could be easily harvested as by product of textiles. The oils have serious energy values...

Ideas like this make to much sense and are too rational for Politicians in this Country to pass. They'd rather argue over letting same sex couples wed.

 

[lordoflightaz]

Cotton growers got pot made illegal cause hemp competed against cotton.

 

[Irish John]

Cotton growers got pot made illegal cause hemp competed against cotton.

Cotton cannot grow in northern climes but hemp is illegal there too. Did cotton growers power and monopoly extend to Iceland, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand and UK as well?