It was supposed to be the fuel that could wean, at least partially, the United States and other petroleum importing countries from their dependence on foreign oil.
Corn-based ethanol was heralded to do the trick and with massive political support from both sides of the political spectrum, it has emerged as the biofuel of choice, anointed by the United States government and enjoying the support of agricultural lobbies and states.
Ethanol, added to motor vehicle gasoline, is a great oxygenate and can stretch gasoline supplies blended from 10 to 85 percent, by volume. (Note that 1.5 gallons of ethanol are needed to replace one gallon of gasoline on an equivalent energy basis.) The ability of ethanol to stretch the gasoline stocks is the reason it was supposed to provide a measure of energy independence from imported oil. In addition, it is “renewable” and it evokes credits in net CO2 emissions because of the photosynthesis during the growing of corn. In theory these are all positive things; in reality the situation is quite unattractive if not outright catastrophic.
But it does not end there. Robert Bryce wrote on April 29, 2011 in the Energy Tribune.:
Energy Tribune- Corn-based Ethanol: The Real Cost
Corn-based ethanol was heralded to do the trick and with massive political support from both sides of the political spectrum, it has emerged as the biofuel of choice, anointed by the United States government and enjoying the support of agricultural lobbies and states.
Ethanol, added to motor vehicle gasoline, is a great oxygenate and can stretch gasoline supplies blended from 10 to 85 percent, by volume. (Note that 1.5 gallons of ethanol are needed to replace one gallon of gasoline on an equivalent energy basis.) The ability of ethanol to stretch the gasoline stocks is the reason it was supposed to provide a measure of energy independence from imported oil. In addition, it is “renewable” and it evokes credits in net CO2 emissions because of the photosynthesis during the growing of corn. In theory these are all positive things; in reality the situation is quite unattractive if not outright catastrophic.
But it does not end there. Robert Bryce wrote on April 29, 2011 in the Energy Tribune.:
“Last year, the Congressional Budget Office reported that the cost to taxpayers of using corn ethanol to reduce gasoline consumption by one gallon is $1.78. This year, the corn ethanol sector will produce about 13.8 billion gallons of ethanol, the energy equivalent of about 9.1 billion gallons of gasoline. Using the CBO’s numbers, the total cost to taxpayers this year for the ethanol boondoggle will be about $16.2 billion.”
Energy Tribune- Corn-based Ethanol: The Real Cost
