OPEC getting uncomfortable with all of this talk about atlernative fuels. - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Chris Bell · #16 06-18-2007, 08:45 PM

Excuse me while I go fill up with some biodiesel

EliotW · #17 06-19-2007, 09:44 PM

There really isn't excess capacity to create Ethanol fuel in the US. Or at least a corn based solution is impossible. The death of MTBE has sharply raised prices for consumer as corn is now going into Ethanol production corn that otherwise would be used in food products (much of our synth food is built with corn... its heavily subsidized thus cheep and available but its built on the last two being true upset the cart and you have a problem.) Further price increases are untenable at a consumer level. Also the investment return is debatable... how much energy goes into creating that barrel of ethanol? Sugar cane is great source and does work well... corn not so readily.

aklim · #18 06-19-2007, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EliotW

how much energy goes into creating that barrel of ethanol?

As I read it from someone who posted here, the energy gained was about the same as what was put in

SwampYankee · #19 06-20-2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

As I read it from someone who posted here, the energy gained was about the same as what was put in

I thought you got less energy out than was put in.

Mistress · #20 06-20-2007, 09:56 AM

if I could do a conversion and run it off of Dunkin Donut grease, I would...if nothing else it would smell great....

aklim · #21 06-20-2007, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

I thought you got less energy out than was put in.

Not sure but I thought they were roughly equal with a slight favor on the ethanol end. IOW, you might get a little more out than what you put in but pretty much equal for all practical purposes

aklim · #22 06-20-2007, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress

if I could do a conversion and run it off of Dunkin Donut grease, I would...if nothing else it would smell great....

What's with you people saying how great it smells? You pipe the exhaust to the cabin or what? I must say I don't make a point to smell the exhaust and seldom, if it ever happens, does the wind blow it exactly right so I happen to be there and smell it.

Emmerich · #23 06-20-2007, 10:56 PM

What you said doesn't make sense. Its like saying the car companies had a monopoly on the automobile market. duh! Thats the definition...

Oil *is* hard and expensive to find. All the big new pools are in regions of political instability and dangerous/hard environments. The good old days of West texas crude supporting America are over.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biodiesel300TD

It's good for them. The oil companies have pretty much had a monopoly on the fuel market since the get go. Henry Ford's first car was built to run on ethanol, and Rudolph Diesel's first diesel was built to run on peanut oil. But petro fuels became so much cheaper then that the switch was made to gasoline and diesel. The oil companies have had the corner on the market for nearly 100 years. Now they are starting to get some competition from some cleaner burning fuels and they start whining. Maybe they should have started thinking about the days when oil would become too expensive and/or hard to find, and start looking into alternative fuel options. Gasoline here a few weeks ago was more than $3.30/gallon. While biodiesel was just under $3.30/gallon. Makes the ol' biodiesel look a lot more appitizing to people. People are cheapskates, they tend to buy what is cheapest when it comes to fuel. If biodiesel and ethanol become cheaper then people are going to start wanting to use that instead of gas and diesel. Apparently there are enough people that believe the global warming story that they want to start using cleaner burning fuels, maybe the big oil companies need to shift gears, before they become obsolete