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»ARCHIVED TALK
Happy Birthday, Biodiesel!
Posted September 28, 2006
Today is our little soy's first birthday. A year ago, Minnesota became the first state in the nation to require that most of the diesel fuel sold here be a biodiesel blend. While biodiesel celebrates a quiet first birthday in Minnesota, the Star Tribune series on ethanol continues to roll out, although not without a little newsroom controversy. Ethanol is a big story in Minnesota, but today is biodiesel's day. If there are any MNspeakers who drive a diesel, drop me a line and I'll let you know where you can buy an even cleaner and greener higher-blend mix in your area.
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27 Comments:
I drink a lot of biodiesel.
»» Submitted by »»» msparber at 10:21 AM on September 28
Most ethanol in the US is made from corn. According to the CEO of Cargill, if the entire US corn crop was converted to ethanol it would replace only 20% of motor fuel.
Doesn't seem to be much of a solution.
»» Submitted by »»» fred at 10:55 AM on September 28
The ethanol fad is pure cash infusion for Big Agriculture.
»» Submitted by »»» acalhoun at 11:09 AM on September 28
Fred: Doesn't seem to be much of a solution.
I'm not sure that the solution to the energy problem is going to come from one source. It'll be more along the lines of hundreds of different solutions all acting at once.
»» Submitted by »»» matt at 11:40 AM on September 28
Corn is only a beginning. Other sources will be found for the necessary sugars. Brazil fuels a significant portion of their cars with sugar cane. I realize this is impractical in our climate, but other grains and sorghum and maple sap and grassses all can be fermented.
»» Submitted by kevin at 11:39 AM on September 28
You prefer our fuel dollars go to those sweethearts in OPEC and the big oil companies, Aaron?
Fred, who you going to trust on this issue? The CEO of Cargill or Bob from ALAMN? Heck, Warren Staley isn't even a registered MNspeak user! Seriously, you got a better idea? What's your solution?
Max -- whatever lubes your gears, man. I'm sticking to ethanol. In fact, I'm going to buy a bottle of Shakers right now as a going-away gift for Dave, our IT wizard.
»» Submitted by »»» alamn at 11:40 AM on September 28
I think we should burn up all of OPEC's oil first. What else will they have to sell when they need money to buy fuel from us?
As it is, after adjusting for inflation, energy prices have risen less in the past thirty years than juct about anything else. (oddly, furniture prices are the other category tracked by the Commerce Dept that hasn't kept pace with inflation?)
»» Submitted by »»» srhcb at 12:03 PM on September 28
Seriously, you got a better idea? What's your solution?
This, baby.
»» Submitted by mazasapa at 12:42 PM on September 28
Love it. When the "car of the future" becomes the "car of the present," as some gas-electric hybrids and FFVs are today, great. Until then, we will work for cleaner fuels and vehicles that you can use now.
Like "That 70's Show's" Red Foreman, I'm still waiting for my hovercraft.
»» Submitted by »»» alamn at 1:07 PM on September 28
I drink a lot of biodiesel.
Buck Owens was fueled by Ethanol, too...but he called it Corn Liquor
»» Submitted by »»» g rote at 1:29 PM on September 28
I want to know why they can't (or won't) make energy out of human and animal waste...talk about a renewable resource...
»» Submitted by »»» leigha at 1:55 PM on September 28
It can be done, Leigha.
»» Submitted by »»» msparber at 1:59 PM on September 28
You can make energy out of just about anything. It's just that we can't afford enough tax subsidies to make it cost competitive.
»» Submitted by »»» srhcb at 2:00 PM on September 28
There's this.
And Harnessing the power of poo. Which will be the name of my new band: The Power of Poo.
»» Submitted by »»» jderusha at 2:10 PM on September 28
Just in case anyone thought we at ALAMN were one trick ponies on cleaner fuels, we are also members of the Upper Midwest Hydrogen Initiative.
»» Submitted by »»» alamn at 2:09 PM on September 28
Oh, methane, duh. Seeing as it's seemingly highly explosive when exposed to air, odorless, and colorless, it sounds rather dangerous. On a positive note, if people were in far greater danger of their cars spontaneously combusting while they're driving they might be far more likely to consider public transportation.
»» Submitted by »»» leigha at 2:09 PM on September 28
Jason: some might say as a bona fide member of the MSM, you have been in the poo business for awhile.
Not me, of course....
»» Submitted by »»» alamn at 2:13 PM on September 28
Bad movie, renewable resource.
»» Submitted by »»» g rote at 2:06 PM on September 28
One thing we can't make energy out of is scientific and economic ignorance, although it would probably be worth a try?
»» Submitted by »»» srhcb at 2:18 PM on September 28
ouch. you watch it srhcb, or I'll just hav[KABOOM]
»» Submitted by »»» leigha at 2:20 PM on September 28
Sorry, Warren, I take it all back. But you could have built in Minnesota, you know.
»» Submitted by »»» alamn at 2:32 PM on September 28
Sure Biodiesel is hip and cool but what about the Transgender Fuel Community?
»» Submitted by Phil Erup at 2:41 PM on September 28
You guys go on with your clean fuels or whatever. I'll buy all the cheap and dirty shit and be rich. Rich I tell you!
»» Submitted by »»» kwatt at 7:42 PM on September 28
Some people are confusing bio-diesel with ethanol. Personally, I don't think corn is the answer either, but how about poplars? Celulosic ethanol will return corn to its destiny, smothered in butter and heavily salted.
There are a number of efficient sources for biodiesel. Here's a link to the Wikipedia article that lists them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel#Biodiesel_feedstock
I saw a calculation that said that if an area only the size of Rhode Island were cultivated with algae for biodiesel use, it would supply all the transportation fuel needs of the U.S. (I can't find the article or else I'd give a link to it. Sorry.)
In Europe, rapeseed, a.k.a. canola, is the primary source of biodiesel, which is nearly 3 times as efficient a source. The main reason I suspect that soybeans are used in the U.S. (and corn for ethanol) is that production these crops are subsidized by government.
»» Submitted by brown131 at 5:08 PM on October 3
Kidding aside, we are working on the hydrogen thang too, maz.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 4:29 PM on July 11
Oops, wrong post!
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 4:32 PM on July 11
»»» = registered user. click on it to see the user's profile.
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