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Should Corn Ethanol Be Put Out to Grass?
January 18, 2008 03:00 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
A study finds that switchgrass could be a better source of ethanol fuel than corn. But the value of ethanol as a sustainable source of alternative energy is still being questioned.
30-Second Summary
Switchgrass is commonly found at the edges of farm cropland, and was studied as a source of fuel in a report appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.
A Scientific American article on that research paper stated, “Switchgrass ethanol delivers 540 percent of the energy used to produce it, compared with just roughly 25 percent more energy returned by corn-based ethanol according to the most optimistic studies.”
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service.
However, the debate on whether to use ethanol as an alternative energy source far from over.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey champions ethanol as part of a great opportunity for agriculture in 2008.
While James B. Meigs of Popular Mechanics states that ethanol is an unsatisfactory answer to the impeding oil shortage.
“There’s a simple reason that ethanol is popular with politicians: money. Substituting corn ethanol for a large fraction of the gasoline we burn will mean sluicing gushers of cash from more populated states to politically powerful farm states,” writes Meigs.
A Scientific American article on that research paper stated, “Switchgrass ethanol delivers 540 percent of the energy used to produce it, compared with just roughly 25 percent more energy returned by corn-based ethanol according to the most optimistic studies.”
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service.
However, the debate on whether to use ethanol as an alternative energy source far from over.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey champions ethanol as part of a great opportunity for agriculture in 2008.
While James B. Meigs of Popular Mechanics states that ethanol is an unsatisfactory answer to the impeding oil shortage.
“There’s a simple reason that ethanol is popular with politicians: money. Substituting corn ethanol for a large fraction of the gasoline we burn will mean sluicing gushers of cash from more populated states to politically powerful farm states,” writes Meigs.
Headline Link: Switchgrass ethanol?
David Biello of Scientific American reports that a recent study states the native North American perennial grass—switchgrass—could be more effective than corn in producing ethanol. Biello writes, “Switchgrass ethanol delivers 540 percent of the energy used to produce it, compared with just roughly 25 percent more energy returned by corn-based ethanol according to the most optimistic studies.”
Source: Scientific American
The study is titled “Net Energy of Cellulosic Ethanol from Switchgrass,” and was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service.
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Opinion: Is Ethanol the answer to increased oil prices?
Contra ethanol
James B. Meigs of Popular Mechanics states that ethanol is a premature answer to the oil shortage, and that Congress has not yet considered enough alternatives. “There’s a simple reason that ethanol is popular with politicians: money. Substituting corn ethanol for a large fraction of the gasoline we burn will mean sluicing gushers of cash from more populated states to politically powerful farm states,” writes Meigs.
Source: Popular Mechanics
Pro ethanol
In an op-ed for The Des Moines Register, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey champions ethanol as a great opportunity for agriculture in 2008. Northey writes, “A new Energy Bill was recently signed into law that will ensure continued increasing demand for ethanol and biodiesel. This will help keep the price for our corn and beans strong by giving Iowa crop farmers markets for their crops. The ethanol plants that have been built are not going to disappear over night, especially in this era of $100-per-barrel oil.”
Source: The Des Moines Register
Related Topics: Environmental issues
According to the calculations of David Pimental, a Cornell University agricultural expert, “70 percent more energy is required to produce ethanol than the energy that actually is in it.” Pimental’s calculations and the conclusions that can be drawn from them are outlined in an article from independent sustainable-energy news Web site Health and Energy.
Source: Health and Energy
According to the Institute of Science in Society, ethanol from cellulose, such as corn ethanol, is neither a sustainable nor an environmentally benign source of energy. The byproducts of ethanol production are said to include formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, both known carcinogens. In addition, the institute argues that too much energy is required to produce corn ethanol.
Source: Institute of Science in Society
Reference Material: Consumer Reports; the National Corn Growers Association
Consumer Reports tested flexible fuel vehicles that can run on E85—which is pure gasoline or 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol—and found that “E85 will cost consumers more money than gasoline and that there are concerns about whether the government’s support of FFVs is really helping the U.S. achieve energy independence.”
Source: Consumer Reports
According to the National Corn Growers Association, “Ethanol production results in more energy than is consumed in producing the ethanol—including all manufacturing and distribution and the energy it takes to plant, grow and harvest the corn that is used as the raw feedstock for ethanol production.”
Source: The National Corn Growers Association
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