Corn in my tank…but how much?
Popular Mechanics did an interesting fiscal analysis of various gasoline substitution technologies. Even though the only ethanol source listed is from corn, the analysis illustrates how conventional gasoline still tops the charts. Many technologies were compared including E85/ethanol, M85/methanol, B100 biodiesel, compressed natural gas, electricity (EV cars), and Hydrogen fuel cells.
As of May 2006:
| Raw Materials Consumed | Fuel Needed | Price | Economy | |
| Gasoline | 4.5 barrels of oil | 90.9 gal | $2.34/gal | 33 MPG |
| Corn Ethanol | 53 bushels of corn, 0.5 barrel crude oil | 176 gal | $2.41/gal | 17 MPG |
| M85 Methanol | 18190 cu ft Natural Gas, 0.5 barrel crude oil | 214 gal | $2.89/gal | 14 MPG |
| B100 Biodiesel | 16.5 gals of used veg oil | 68.2gal | $3.40/gal | 44 MPG |
| Compressed Natural Gas | 10,650 cu ft natural gas | 88 gal equiv | $1.25/gal equiv | 34 MPG |
| Electricity | 1 ton of coal | 16.4 gal equiv | $3.66/gal equiv | 202 MPG |
| Hydrogen | 16,000 cu ft H2 | 73 gal equiv | $11/gal equiv | 41 MPG |
Don’t let the table fool you, each of the potential fuels above is fret with problems. The greatest potential for widespread use lay with 2: biodiesel and ethanol. Why? Infrastructure change is highly expensive and these require the least amount of change.
Check out the pdf including the data above.
Read the entire article which describes pros and cons here.
genetically engineered foods…
I stumbled upon your blog by accident a month or so ago and have found myself coming back to it at least a few times every week. You have become my favorite….
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