more smoke and mirrors

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 6 2007, 08:59 PM) [snapback]419163[/snapback]</div>

Except someone will "cheat" and sell for less. That's why cartels don't work very well.

Malorn, I think the oil companies are wary because ethanol is taking away some of their turf. Corn ethanol has many issues but it's a stepping stone to bigger things. Perhaps the biggest issue with corn is its cost. The cost of a bushel has doubled in the last year or so. That has really cut into the profitability of selling ethanol. We need to find other feed stocks.

One interesting thing that I've seen lately is the co location of an ethanol plant adjacent to a coal fired power plant (in SW Minnesota). The ethanol plant uses the low grade heat from the power plant so they don't need to use NG to produce steam for distillation. This lowers the fossil fuel inputs for this particular ethanol plant and makes for a better energy balance. I don't know how much better it is, but it certainly a step in the right direction. Now if they could only make butanol practical. Things would be even better.

I wonder if pyrolysis of biomass makes more sense than fermentation. Anybody know?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Apr 6 2007, 07:22 PM) [snapback]419109[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, we certainly don't want an interuption in the supply of cheap High-Fructose Corn Syrup, now do we?

 

Maybe if corn isn't so cheap they'll start letting cattle graze on grass instead of feeding them corn.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 6 2007, 11:33 PM) [snapback]419192[/snapback]</div>

Works for me.

And then they can stop force-feeding them routine antibiotics as corn is not their natural diet and they can't tolerate the corn without the antibiotics.

Nothing like grass-fed organic beef!

 

I've been seeing some advertising for grass fed beef and antibiotic free pork. I don't know if that's just a So. Cal hippie thing, they're meeting a demand or they're pushing a direction for what they're suppliers are providing or what.

I like it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 6 2007, 05:45 PM) [snapback]419113[/snapback]</div>

I agree 100%!

Wildkow

p.s. Doesn't it irk you when I do that?