Ethanol gas renewable?

A federal law requires refiners to double the use of ethanol in gasoline by

2012 but scientists say it burns more energy than it makes.

2.8 billion gallons of ethanol blended with gasoline in the U.S. every year

7.5 predicted by 2012

35 kilowatt-hours of energy needed to produce one gallon of gasoline

45 kilowatt-hours of energy needed to grow, harvest, and convert 22 pounds of corn into one gallon of ethanol

1.6 gallons of ethanol generate the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline 30% more energy ethanol burns than it creates

$1.25 cost of producing one gallon of gasoline

$4.69 cost of producing one gallon of ethanol

.5 (1/2) gallon of corn-based diesel - now in the works at the University of Wisconsin - can produce as much energy as one gallon of ethanol

-Popular Science (October, 05)

The corn-based diesel is called BioDiesel. It can be mad from raw vegetable oil - any kind - or from used fryer oil from fast food places.

I made a one liter test batch last month to work out the process for larger batches. I made mine from used peanut oil left over from July 4th fried chicken.

Right now I'm working on a processor to make about 20 gallons per batch. I can get about that much oil from ONE restaurant each week.

I'm using recycled barrels to convert and wash the fuel because that's whats here. Some people use old water heaters.

Visit www.biodieselnow.com to get lots more good information.

Oh, I almost forgot the ingredients and price breakdown.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

Methanol (20% of veg oil volume)

Lye = 4.5 - 6 grams per liter

Electricity to heat the oil and stir the mixture

Cost breakdown:

Vegetable oil = free from fast food places

Racing grade methanol = $4 per gallon (but remember, 1 gallon of methanol makes FIVE GALLONS of BioDiesel) Also, farm grade methanol is FAR CHEAPER - about 1/3 less - than racing grade, but only comes in 55 gallon barrels.

Lye = $5 per pound. (One pound of lye makes about 100 liters of BioDiesel, or around 25 gallons)

Electricity = negligible

Total cost per gallon = $1.20 using racing grade methanol. About 90 cents using farm grade methanol.

Saying "NO" to OPEC = Priceless!

Total

It cost me WAY more than $4.69 to produce a gallon of Ethanol......of course, mine is not for driving with.

congress, the senate, and the fda, are doing a study to prove that biodiesel, is either a carcinogen, harmful to the country, and/or addictive, and the manufacturing and use of it should be illegal, the same as methamphetamine.

oil companies have sworn to fight it's manufacturing and use, and lobbyists had a striper party last weekend for members of the senate and congress discussing this at great length.

one unnamed source, a committee chairman, was quoted as saying "boy does she have big boobs, i'd like to rub her down with good old fossile fuel oil, not that new fangled bio stuff the scientists are trying to make us use."

Rick,

you GOT to get the spelling thing worked out.

Striper - Striped Bass - a fish

Stripper - Naked Woman

I was all excited about the idea of a Striper party!

RICKAMAVEN,

One thing I have noticed is that petro diesel prices always flirt with - but never exceed - the pump price of commercial biodiesel. Hmmmm...

andytv...funny! Is it based on taters or corn?

00camper, be careful, if you use peanut oil and someone with severe peanut allergies is driving behind you, you could kill them.

thanks for the warning about allergies.

If you read the MSDS for the lye/methanol mixture, you would probably never go near it. According to DuPont, if you get enough on your skin it can make you sick. Doctors can treat the symptoms and you feel better after a while. Then your liver falls out and you die a couple of weeks later. Scary. I keep a water hose handy just in case.

corn....................also I've made it from stale beer left over in kegs.

Rick, gasoline is a carcinogen (and a suspected mutantagen), harmful to the country, and/or addictive (if you huff it).

andytv

i thought a bass was a type of guitar.

i have watched these guys on tv in fishing contests standing on moving boats, catching bass fishes, but i cannot understand a word they are saying. i think they come from another country.

Buckwheat

i know, but it's protected by the same laws that allow the manufacturing and distribution of the world's deadliest cancer delivery system, cigarettes.

i didn't know about the huffing part.

LOL at Rick,

I feel the same way about a lot of TV bass fishin.........the reason you can't understand it is because all they talk about is their equipment, how great it is, and why you should buy some.

"Yeahhhhhh watchuuwannadoo is mark some grassbeds near a sandbar and dropoff with yer HT4000 ultrasonic structureator, then tie a halfounz powerchubby to yer twinny pound P-Line shockleader with a Palomar knot. You kinzee yer knot bedder if yer warin Costa Del Mar polarized fishin glasses. Whad eye like to doo is tye me a corter ounz Mann's weedless sinker bout twelve inches from my chubby. you kin cast alot farther if yer using the new Shimano computer controlled C400 reel............................."

There are a few Fishin shows that are really good though;

Spanish Fly w/ Jose Wewebe comes to mind.