# Obsolete corn ethanol



## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I normally post these in the political form, but since this isn't political and I am sure I will get some static I decided to post here. If you have read some of my comments in the political form you will remember that for two years (or longer) I have told people that corn ethanol is a step backwards, and the only way ethanol will be feasible is if we go with grass ethanol. Specifically a grass called _Panicum virgatum _is one that has promise. If memory serves me we would receive a return (energy in/energy out) of 1 to 7 or higher from this grass as compared to 1 to about .85 for corn. 
Also of importance is grass would not need the huge government support prices that corn does. When some claim we need to feed a starving world the use of corn today creates even more starving people. Corn for food, or corn as a producers way of siphoning your pocket? It's a decision society will need to make.

OK, let the arrows fly.

Headline: GOOGLE backs biomass fuel from grass?



> Google backs biomass fuel firm CoolPlanetBiofuels
> 
> The venture capital arm of Google Inc has invested in a start-up that is developing technology to produce fuel from inedible biomass such as grass and wood chips.
> 
> ...


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## jrp267 (Dec 17, 2007)

Maybe now drain tile sales will start to fall off. And the price of food will come down and the american people will no longer be held hostage by the farm lobby.


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## jd mn/nd (Apr 8, 2004)

It has been a well known fact for around 10 years or so that Corn is the least efficient form of producing ethonal, as a matter of fact the stalks and leaves from the plant of corn will actually producer more ethonal than the actual kernal of corn itself, if memory serves me correctly nearly ten times more efficient to produce ethonal from the plant than the kernal itself. That being said the kernal is much easier to deal with in it's original form than the stalk or even grasses hence the reason that I also believe they use the kernal instead of the plant matter that would be much better at producing ethonal. This country has been well known for the past century as being a wasteful country, this is just another case in point that proves that.


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

Just more proof of what happens when government subsidies rule the roost.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

It seems the main reason for using corn has been the ability to easily transport and store it without degradation of the product. That is not as easy with other products such as beets and even grasses. I suspect production with grasses and corn stalks is at a premium with it in a green undried form which could present serious storage problems. Too bad they can't make it from lawn clippings............ :rollin:


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