The Limits of Biofuels

[4dsc]

http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2006/5/3/123227/5011#more

Scale people, think of scale!!

One question that always arises with biofuels is "How much can we really produce?" For most fuels, this depends upon the feedstock, i.e., corn versus cellulose for ethanol. However, there are definite limits, and as time progresses, my guess is that we will see more and more proposals like the one below the fold:

To help lessen the U.S. dependency on foreign oil, Dynoil's commitment to producing an alternative diesel fuel is under way with its plan to build a 1.5 billion gallon per year (bgy) refinery that will process vegetable oil feedstock into environmentally friendly biodiesel.

However, the detail that is missing is that the entire US production of soybean oil (the main kind produced here, as our climate is too cold for palm oil and too warm for rapeseed) is 2.5 billion gallons per year. In other words, this single "bio-refinery" will consume roughly 60% of the soybean oil produced annually in the US!

[mom cat]

1. Furthermore, Biofuel takes a lot of energy to produce, is hard on an

already stressed environment and does not get at the core issue of co2 production. Only seriously modernized public transportation systems will be able to make a difference and drastic conservation on the part of consumers. A responsible government would be telling us this.

[unhappycamper]

4. Seriously modernized public transportation systems won't happen.

Can you imagine $400,000,000 retirement packages to the big Kahuna of a major metropolitan transit system? Or $6,000,000,000 net profit per quarter? It's all about money.

[dcfirefighter]

9. Furthermore, good public transit drives real estate

prices out of reach of the average family, UNLESS high density housing is built - something that is generally opposed by NIMBYists nationwide.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Fantastic

Until you get crop failures due to climate change etc. The first time round that Brazil made fuel from sugar cane and thousands of VW Beetles were converted to run on the stuff they lost the plot when the sugar supply dwindled. There were VW's lying at the roadside abandoned and looking a bit sad - bit like road killed animals.

Apart from that another reply mentions the sheer amount of coal or oil that would be necessary to make that much ethanol.

Expect to see 100's of newly formed "new type energy" companies looking for investment if you want to waste some hard earned dough.

[rfkrfk]

3. oil palms, diesel fuel grows on trees

will be big in tropical countries, who needs a useless rainforest

in temperate areas, rip out everything else, put in corn.
perhaps a better strain of corn could be developed
for fuel use

[darkmaestro019]

6. I'd say you're not a Breen, but perhaps

you're not Monican would be more to the point. Hmm?


Useless rainforest? Rip out everything? Do me a favor, mmkay, and hit www.dictionary.com or perhaps even Wikipedia or the good old dead-tree of Britannica and look up the world "ecosystem"

[Crayson]

5. all chemical energy sources come from the sun in turn

You can't produce all fuel that way.

A) you would need all the farmland for it.. where do you grow your food then.
B) It needs fertilizer which in turn doesn't grow on trees either.


The only real raw energy source is the sun.
Everything else is inefficient in my opinion since it is only a translation of solar energy (oil, wood, wind) and with every translation a big chunk of it gets lost.
Well, lets say all the chemical "translations".
Wind and Water are quite efficient energy sources as they translate very directly from solar power.

[poopfuel]

8. we can use existing cropland and then some

There is no problem growing enough food in this country, only a problem of markets to buy it and profits to be made.

Fertilizer can come from the mash of the biofuel. Very solar, very efficient. And you don't need fossil fuels as part of the input.

[One_Life_To_Give]

7. 1.5 billion = 9.5day supply of diesel

Current consumption of Distilate fuel is running over 4 million barrels per day.(168 million gallons)
(Not to mention the 10 million barrels per day of gasoline used)

Our current needs for Distilate fuel (Diesel) are over 61 Billion gallons/year.
Adding cars means we would 210 Billion gallons/year of alternative fuels to replace our oil addiction.

[jpak]

10. Biofuels can never replace petroleum

and anyone who claims we can maintain and operate our current transportation system with biofuels is fooling themselves.

Biofuels are only one part of an imperfect solution.

We are going to have to redo our entire transportation system - everything from the distances we travel, to the efficiency of our vehicles (public and private), to the types of energy used (renewable electricity and biofuels).

It won't be cheap or convenient, but its the only sustainable option we have.