- It takes 100x + more land per acre to produce biofuels than produce electricity via solar or wind power.
- Electric motors are 2x more efficient than the internal combustion engine
- It requires annual applications of NH3, fungicides, herbicides and insecticides to produce enough grain for biofuels. These chemicals are linked to neurological development disorders in children, cancer and cognitive decline in adults. Iowa ranks #2 in the Nation for new cancers emerging in its population.
- N2O is 270x more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2 and NH3 is significant source. See https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/nitrous-oxide-emissions
- Carbon-based energy is burned annually to produce it.
- The carbon and nitrogen cycles continue to get insanely unbalanced, causing weather-related disasters to become more severe, widespread and more often. This causes land to become uninsurable and thus becomes a significant driver of housing costs.
Source: RacePretend1862
17 Comments
The utility of biomass energy obviously depends if we’re talking a pre-existing waste product from other activity like bagasse from sugar cane, or a crop grown specifically for the purpose of creating fuel.
Yes. Only value is diversifying liquid fuel supply for security reasons, but that’s swamped by the costs and better alternatives. But if you’re working on climate and clean energy in the US… messing either ethanol comes big risks.
Runner up: hydrogen.
Farmers apply NH4 which binds to the soil as it’s positively charged. Some NH4 breaks down to NH3 which is a nitrate not a Nitrous Oxide which is what I think you are talking about.
You didn’t include the carbon sequestered in the soil by crops or the feed produced.
Big Corn is a powerful lobby.
While biofuels like corn ethanol are dumb, biofuel from a waste process like BioCNG from anaerobic digestion are viable, though hard to scale.
Looking forward to flying coast to coast in your battery powered commercial airplane!
Well it’s concentrated liquid energy for things like aviation. Maybe one day we can have a battery powered airplane that goes 10,000 miles at 600 mph but won’t be for a while.
They’re a nice way to utilize waste oils. Don’t knock any use case, no solution is one size fits all but also, no solution is useless. Growing specifically for biofuels is dumb though, I agree there.
Bear in mind that an acre of corn makes 450 gallons of ethanol AND 2500 pounds of high quality cattle feed.
Now, you might still think that biofuel subsidies are dumb, but at least you understand why they exist now.
Lots of biofuels are wastes from other industries, and not from crops grown specifically for energy.
Some bio fuels are dumb. Bio gas from compost/sewage is not dumb, heating with wood is not dumb (and really nice) as a couple of examples
Ethanol is welfare for farmers.
farmers are the biggest welfare queens around and they know it
Just don’t get in an accident with an electric car that’s all I’m saying.
I think someone needs to do more research on the many different biofuel processes.
Bottom line it is better than using oil.
You have no idea what you’re talking about
NItrogen oxide formation is a solved problem.
Batteries have 1/50 to 1/100 the energy density of biofuel or fossil fuel, that plus needing thousand pound battery is why EV have the range issue.
Clearly biofuel is superior and can be a 24×7 fuel, not stopping at night or when the wind stops blowing (or harsh weather wraps a turbine’s blades into a ball)