[Greenbuilding] bio fuels and ethanol

[Rob Tom]

On Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:27:47 -0400, RONALD CASCIO <roncascio at verizon.net>  
wrote:

> I'm not sure of the energy return ratio for ethanol these days but it's  
> 1:3.7 for biodiesel, >which is a net energy gain of 2.7 BTUs, and that  
> calculation includes farming inputs and
> transportation.

Thanks for that Ron.

IIRC there's some debate as to the legitimacy and accuracy of the  
bio-diesel energy balance.

More than a few people who know more about these matters than I have  
commented that there's some funny stuff (funny-peculiar, not funny "ha  
ha") going on with the numbers in the NREL bio-diesel study.

But aside from the numbers, some of my neighbours grow soybeans on  
relatively small family farm acreages (ie less than 100 acres) and having  
seen the planting/fertilising/harvesting operations (involving humungous  
combines whose mileage is about the same as a Sherman tank and 18-wheeler  
semis and huge tractors) I find it very hard to believe that there is a  
net energy gain when squeezing the oil out of those little beans that you  
can't even see (from the road) growing on those wee spindly plants that  
don't even reach up to the top of one's Wellingtons. It seems too much  
like a "Free Lunch" scenario.

But then again, I believe the Earth is flat and sits on the back of a  
tortise so what I believe doesn't count for much.

Coincidentally, since sending off my previous message, the folks at the  
plasma gasification company have informed me that they project generating  
net 1.15 MW/h per tonne of waste, after drawing off 20% of the power  
generated from the waste, to run the facility.


-- 
=== * ===
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
<A r c h i L o g i c   at  c h a f f y a h o o   dot   c a >
winnow the chaff from my edress in your reply