Quote:
Originally Posted by CAMAR0
The part that no one talks about is that it takes more energy to create ethanol than it puts out when you burn it. Compare that to being able to run motor on natural gas.. It takes very little energy to get the natural gas.. Now the head scratching really starts. With e85 your burning more coal or something to power the ethanol production process and you end up with more than double the emissions (production + vehicle). Not against it but from that standpoint it doesnt make the best sense.
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That's very true for corn ethanol. The efficiency in producing it is marginal at best and affects food prices. Two ways to resolve this are to end ethanol-related subsidies. This would increase availability while keeping food prices down. Another option is cellulosic ethanol. This type of ethanol comes from certain plant cells. Recent science suggests that this can be made cheaply in labs without cannibalizing our food product.