Comments on: Managing Water for Future Ethanol Sustainability http://domesticfuel.com/2008/10/15/managing-water-for-future-ethanol-sustainability/ Alternative Fuel News Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:59:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: 19 Hurdles for Large http://domesticfuel.com/2008/10/15/managing-water-for-future-ethanol-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-135006 19 Hurdles for Large Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:31:24 +0000 http://domesticfuel.com/?p=7172#comment-135006 [...] are available, public support must be earned once again. 6. Water Use for Cultivation: It takes 2,500 gallons of water to grow one bushel of corn, which equates to a measly 2.5 gallons of ethanol. Some future options [...] [...] are available, public support must be earned once again. 6. Water Use for Cultivation: It takes 2,500 gallons of water to grow one bushel of corn, which equates to a measly 2.5 gallons of ethanol. Some future options [...]

]]> By: 1,000 Gallons of Water for 1 Gallon of Ethanol - How Green is That? http://domesticfuel.com/2008/10/15/managing-water-for-future-ethanol-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-103250 1,000 Gallons of Water for 1 Gallon of Ethanol - How Green is That? Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:12:49 +0000 http://domesticfuel.com/?p=7172#comment-103250 [...] Source: Domestic Fuel [...] [...] Source: Domestic Fuel [...]

]]> By: Rob Mida http://domesticfuel.com/2008/10/15/managing-water-for-future-ethanol-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-101957 Rob Mida Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:13:42 +0000 http://domesticfuel.com/?p=7172#comment-101957 There are many problems with MSW to ethanol. For starters there is the toxicity involved as trash is burned (or you can call it gassification, plasma arc, fluidized bed) in order to derive a fuel that will then be burned in a vehicle. All the toxins from the trash end up somewhere. Combustion is an inefficient and out-dated technology that has little to do with "sustainability." These technologies are a delay for real solutions. Instead of burning our problems away, we ought to redesign and restructure in a way that addresses the CAUSES of the problems and not the symptoms. Example: We have more trash than we know what to do with - so lets burn it and recover a small fraction of the energy needed to produce said product. Whereas we could reduce the tremendous amount of energy and trees going into paper packaging (particularly fast food) by implementing changes earlier in the life cycle. Example 2: Let's burn demolition wood debris and waste (biomass) or turn that into a fuel to be burned (cellulosic ethanol). OR we could have deconstruction crews to disassemble the building instead of using explosives. This way we could employ people in the process and recovering much of the construction materials - then reuse, recycle and last resort recover energy via whatever method. There are many problems with MSW to ethanol. For starters there is the toxicity involved as trash is burned (or you can call it gassification, plasma arc, fluidized bed) in order to derive a fuel that will then be burned in a vehicle. All the toxins from the trash end up somewhere.

Combustion is an inefficient and out-dated technology that has little to do with “sustainability.”

These technologies are a delay for real solutions. Instead of burning our problems away, we ought to redesign and restructure in a way that addresses the CAUSES of the problems and not the symptoms.

Example: We have more trash than we know what to do with – so lets burn it and recover a small fraction of the energy needed to produce said product. Whereas we could reduce the tremendous amount of energy and trees going into paper packaging (particularly fast food) by implementing changes earlier in the life cycle.

Example 2: Let’s burn demolition wood debris and waste (biomass) or turn that into a fuel to be burned (cellulosic ethanol). OR we could have deconstruction crews to disassemble the building instead of using explosives. This way we could employ people in the process and recovering much of the construction materials – then reuse, recycle and last resort recover energy via whatever method.

]]> By: Sustainability Advocate http://domesticfuel.com/2008/10/15/managing-water-for-future-ethanol-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-101506 Sustainability Advocate Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:37:40 +0000 http://domesticfuel.com/?p=7172#comment-101506 Interesting conversation. This is one of the reasons I am not behind corn ethanol, simply because it costs more energy then it puts out. However, there are many other types of ethanol that do not require all of the water and input, yet can be used sustainably for fuel: municipal waste ethanol for example. Also, the ethanol system needs to be "closed" so that it can produce other benefits as well. Interesting conversation. This is one of the reasons I am not behind corn ethanol, simply because it costs more energy then it puts out. However, there are many other types of ethanol that do not require all of the water and input, yet can be used sustainably for fuel: municipal waste ethanol for example. Also, the ethanol system needs to be “closed” so that it can produce other benefits as well.

]]> By: 1,000 Gallons water / 1 Gallon Ethanol - How Green is That? : Gas 2.0 http://domesticfuel.com/2008/10/15/managing-water-for-future-ethanol-sustainability/comment-page-1/#comment-101326 1,000 Gallons water / 1 Gallon Ethanol - How Green is That? : Gas 2.0 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:47:13 +0000 http://domesticfuel.com/?p=7172#comment-101326 [...] Domestic Fuel [...] [...] Domestic Fuel [...]

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