Discussion Notes - Biofuels - January 29, 2008

Political-

  • Food security/scarcity- most corn used domestically and exported actually is used as livestock feed. The residue of ethanol-producing corn is “high quality livestock feed”
  • Swing states=corn states

 

Scientific-

  • Butanol- made by genetically-engineered microbes and sugars
  • Cellulosic materials
  • Genetic engineering
  • H2CAR- hybrid hydrogen-carbon process
  • Remote control biodiesel car
  • Compete with hydrogen car
  • Big $
  • NOx

 

Social-

  • Mindset of swithing from gas
  • Ethics of genetically engineered plants/trees
  • Social demand to cover initial costs of transformation (infrastructure, power sources)

 

Environmental-

  • Reduce GHG
  • Some biofuel crops can utilize non-arable land
  • Crop rotation can save soils
  • Biodiesels can use, used oils
  • Ethanol storage may affect water table

 

Economics-

  • Drawbacks- water, deforestation, food v. crop,

                  Land Demand

      Minimized by cellulosic

  • Rising price of food
  • Bad weather
  • Insects
  • Bad return on investment (for now)
  • Lower dependability on foreign oil
  • Local production à benefits community
  • Increased initial investment

 LINKS:

Feasability of Large-Scale Biofuel Production