[Digestion] cellulosic ethanol process

[Harmon Seaver]

� wrote:
> Ethanol from just the grain is from long term point of view a dead
> end as the total yield per hectar is low, and it has a disturbing smell of
> agricultural politics. 
> Regards
> Bjorn Dahlroth
> 
    Yes, ethanol from grain is only being done because of the large
subsidies paid to farmers to grow the grain, but their are other crops
which work out much better -- as we see with sugar cane in Brazil, for
instance. It is a very economical solution there. But cattails is a much
better feedstock, and very sustainable grown on a permaculture basis.
You get at least 1500 gallons per acre with no fertilizer or pesticides
and only planting once, and that's in a cold climate like Minnesota. If
it were grown on the effluent from sewage plants, it can produce well
over 2500 gallons per acre. Corn, for example, gives only 200-400
gallons per acre with huge amounts of chemical fertilizer, herbicides
and other pesticides.
    It also makes a very good AD feedstock, being over 40% starch. And
the spent mash can be feed to livestock, used for AD, or used as
fertilizer.

-- 
Harmon Seaver