Re: [Marxism] Is ethanol clean?

[Bonnie Weinstein <giobon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks to Rod for this.

I am aware that the cost of producing Corn-Ethanol is prohibitive. But I
have also heard that the production of hemp could be a better alternative
because it specifically does not deplete the soil to the same extent. I
wonder if anyone has any info on this.

According to a  young friend of mine who is pursuing his MFA in Colorado in
solar power, massively expanding it's use could solve much of our energy
problems. The problem is, of course, under capitalism, it's expensive to buy
solar power installation, so, instead of logic ruling, the profit motive,
once again, reigns supreme. So, what about coal? The government plans to
expand the use of coal!

In solidarity,

Bonnie


On 6/7/06 11:01 AM, "Rod Holt" <rholt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On this list I have taken a position on various alternatives to fossil
> fuels; I have been loud and clear on these points.
>
> I include as a source a document that is friendly to the layperson, even
> the disinterested layperson. I reproduce the author's introduction.
> Considering the importance of the subject, it ill suits the advocate of
> socialism to pretend ignorance because it involves science. Global
> warming, air and water pollution, and the effects of radioactive fallout
> all require some understanding of science. These are important social
> issues which directly impinge on the people around us, and are not to be
> solved by the capitalist class. To abdicate one's social responsibility
> by trusting a government's media's statements on the topic works just as
> well for the ignorant following the US's press releases as for the
> Cuban's. We don't excuse the first, nor should we the second.
> --rod
>
>   http://www.energybulletin.net/4002.html
>   Published on 14 Jan 2005 by Univ. California, Berkley, Dept. Eng..
>   Archived on 14 Jan 2005.
>   Thermodynamics of the Corn-Ethanol Biofuel cycle
>   by Tad W. Patzek
>   In this paper [see link] I define sustainability, sustainable cyclic
>   processes, and quantify the degree of non-renewability of a major
>   biofuel: ethanol produced from industrially-grown corn.
>   First, I demonstrate that more fossil energy is used to produce
>   ethanol from corn than the ethanol's calorific value. Analysis of
>   the carbon cycle shows that all leftovers from ethanol production
>   must be returned back to the fields to limit the irreversible mining
>   of soil humus. Thus, production of ethanol from whole plants is
>   unsustainable. In 2004, ethanol production from corn will generate 8
>   million tonnes of incremental CO2, over and above the amount of CO2
>   generated by burning gasoline with 115% of the calorific value of
>   this ethanol.
>   Second, I calculate the cumulative exergy (available free energy)
>   consumed in corn farming and ethanol production, and estimate the
>   minimum amount of work necessary to restore the key non-renewable
>   resources consumed by the industrial corn-ethanol cycle. This amount
>   of work is compared with the maximum useful work obtained from the
>   industrial corn-ethanol cycle. It appears that if the corn ethanol
>   energy is used to power a car engine, the minimum restoration work
>   is about 6 times the maximum useful work from the cycle. This ratio
>   drops down to 2, if an ideal (but nonexistent) fuel cell is used to
>   process the ethanol.
>   Third, I estimate the U.S. taxpayer subsidies of the industrial
>   corn-ethanol cycle at $3.8 billion in 2004. The parallel subsidies
>   by the environment are estimated at $1.8 billion in 2004. The latter
>   estimate will increase manifold when the restoration costs of
>   aquifers, streams and rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico are also included.
>   Finally, I estimate that (per year and unit area) the ineffcient
>   solar cells produce ~100 times more electricity than corn ethanol.
>   We need to rely more on sunlight, the only source of renewable
>   energy on the earth.
>
>
>
> Walter Lippmann wrote:
>
>> I'm not an expert on this, and have no interest in being one.
>> I'm just going to say this simple: I don't think that Cuba's
>> government is going to do to itself what these U.S. companies
>> have done to the U.S. I don't really know because I'm both not
>> a scientist, and, frankly, am not interested. I cannot know
>> everything, about ethanol or alot of other things. I simply
>> have made the decision to trust Cuba's government on this.
>>
>> Posting the arguments by some scientists who you agree with is
>> not the same thing as making a position oneself, as I have done.
>> This is my position and I have stated so openly.
>>
>>
>> Walter Lippmann
>> Havana, Cuba
>> ==================================================================
>> http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20050605231841data_trunc_sys.shtml
>> 6 July 2005
>> Study Slams Economics Of Ethanol And Biodiesel
>>
>>
>>
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