Biofuel blast
From EcoReality
Biofuel Blast
How are biofuels really performing when net energy is considered?
Researchers studying the energy it takes to process virgin plant fuels into usable forms for automobiles and other engines have found that on balance, it takes 29% more fossil fuel to create ethanol, a biofuel from corn, than the net energy produced when the ethanol is combusted in engines.
Similarly, the biodiesel from soy takes 27% more energy to harvest and process than the energy it can produce when burned. Other non-conventional sources for plant-based biofuels such as switchgrass, wood biomass and sunflowers require 45%, 57% and more than 50% more energy, respectively, to produce than the amount of energy in the resulting biofuel itself. These results, from a Cornell-Berkeley study by Pimentel and Patzek that was released in July 2005, show that there is just no energy benefit to using plant biomass for liquid fuel. A Harvard environmental scientist, McElroy agrees.
Oh, but wait, there are several opportunities to get waste, or "already used" oils and transform them into biofuels. Is there an energy benefit in using recycled oil for biofuels?
Yes! Especially when waste fuels from restaurants/crop wastes etc. are sourced locally and transformed in a bioreactor for use on site, such as what we are in the process of building at EcoReality.
Locally, biofuels from waste oil streams make sense. But as a solution to long-term energy needs on a national or international scale, the costs appear to far outweigh the benefits.
The social side of ecology is a big area that we must all consider when weighing the pros and cons of a consumer purchase, a landowner decision, or even how to ensure that the water needs of our farms and forests are met in the age of climate change. Let's be proactive, and work together to get to the bottom of the so-called "ecological" or "environmental" political moves of big industry. When you listen to media reports, always wear your critical thinking cap, and if you have questions, ask them!
Ecologically yours and all the best for a sustainable 2007!
-- Shan, Ecology Steward 21:10, 12 February 2007 (PST)
