Spreading Awareness, Encouraging Action
A New World For Biofuels Counting infrastructure, equipment and related investments, about $170 billion in new biofuel refinery development projects will result from current U.S. ethanol-for-gasoline production targets.
Currently, U.S. farmers produce about 7 billion gallons of corn ethanol annually. The U.S. burns about 140 billion gallons of gasoline a year. Predictions are that some 285 new ethanol refineries will be built, 210 to process cellulosic feedstock and 75 to be based on corn. Furthermore, there will be more pipelines, rail cars and facilities to harvest, store and process cellulosic feedstock. More farmland will be enlisted to grow ethanol feedstock. Many people are concerned that the quantity of energy, fertilizer, pesticides, and other resources being poured into this effort does not lead to a net savings of energy. There are also many concerns about diverting corn crop capabilities from foods to feedstocks for fuels. This entire approach to producing automobile fuel still leaves us with excessive air pollution, increasing both climate-changing greenhouse gases, and disease-causing smog. There are, however, other forms of biofuel that actually use carbon dioxide emissions as their carbon source. These biofuels include ones that come from algae cultures and other microorganisms. While this technology is not yet available on a commercial scale, lots of research is currently being done to make these forms of fuel a reality. Source: New World For Biofuels, by Jeff Johnson, Chemical and Engineering News Magazine, 7 January 2008, and GWEN.
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