Word: corns
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Although it appears that corn ethanol may not manage to break even on the greenhouse gas balance sheet when its detrimental side effects are taken into account, biofuels from other sources deserve a close look...
...While it’s certainly true that ethanol derived from corn using current methods is not the fuel of a green future—and I tip my cap to anyone who can correctly predict what is—it’s also important that we not let the facts about America’s present energy fad color our attitudes toward other biofuels, including even other forms of ethanol...
...It’s easy to see why corn-derived ethanol became this sort of easy-fix solution, and why it has limited potential as a practical global replacement for gasoline going forward. Ethanol is an ace in the political deck of cards; it is backed by a powerful agricultural lobby and grown heavily in the (usually) politically indispensable state of Iowa. Moreover, the infrastructure for distilling and mixing corn-based ethanol into our fuel had been in place since it replaced methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) as the fuel additive of choice early this decade...
...United States (where ethanol production has quintupled over the last decade) and around the world has diverted a large portion of an important food crop at a time when demand for food is soaring. This notable hurdle has everything to do with the decision to rely on corn supply: While the production of most biofuels requires land that would otherwise be used for crops, one acre of corn produces 328 gallons of ethanol, compared to 662 gallons per acre of sugarcane, making the former’s impact through accelerated deforestation and reduction in available food more striking...
...According to National Geographic, soy-based biodiesel such as is used in Harvard’s fleet, contains 2.5 units of usable energy for every unit of energy used in its production (which compares favorably to corn ethanol’s ratio of 1.3:1), and decreases the emissions of carbon dioxide by 68 percent compared to standard diesel...