Re: [AMC-list] hydrogen-powered Gremlin for sale...

[Jim Blair <carnuck@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Switchgrass is the way to go according to some farming experts. Especially with new technologies for extracting alcohol. Leftovers from the corn processing are now being used to produce bagasse for paper plates that are totally biodegradable.

Jim Blair, Lynnwood, WA '87 Comanche, '83 Jeep J10, '84 Jeep J10

From: Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>
To: amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [AMC-list] hydrogen-powered Gremlin for sale...
Message-ID: <4C01022D.2080207@xxxxxxx>
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The real problem here is that none of the guys doing the talking are farmers. Certain plants are easier to produce alcohol from and would be much easier than corn -- sugar cane and sugar beets are probably the most efficient as far as amount of product produced and ease of extraction. Corn takes more energy to produce alcohol from, but is more widely frown. Can't grow sugar cane just anywhere, needs to be near tropical. I'm not sure about sugar beets, but they have certain environmental needs too, and then there is harvesting -- big investment in mechanical harvesters that only work for the beets.
 
As far as I know most of the studies are based on corn production as that's the most commonly used plant. Why? The US grows a lot and often has a surplus. In the past the surplus has offset the production costs, and not that much was used. Now that there is a higher demand the extraction process has been improved, but sugar beets and sugar cane are still better. Brazil often had a surplus in sugar cane, one of their main cash crops, so using alcohol as an alternative fuel works real good for them! Still took 10+ years to build a fairly decent infrastructure, and lots of government encouragement (subsidies... tax money...).
 
-------------
" The real problem is (1) there simply isn't ever going to be enough of the
" stuff for more than a few thousand cars even in Los Angeles. I think the
" rule of thumb is, if every single acre of arable land in the United States
" was 100% converted over to vegetable oil plant production, it would meet 15%
" of U.S. passenger car fuel consumption!
 
i've heard the reverse, that all our motor fuel needs could be
supplied with a [large] fraction of farmland production.
 
a lot depends on crop productivity...
 
-- 
Frank Swygert
 		 	   		  
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