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| Science & Technology |
| Cheap ethanol by 2011 from any biocrap |
| 2008-01-14 |
| New GM Partnership Aims for Cheaper Ethanol by 2011: Live at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show DETROIT — General Motors announced a partnership today with bio-fuel developer Coskata that it hopes will result in the production of cost-effective E85 by 2011.... ...the Coskata process can produce ethanol almost anywhere in the world, using practically any renewable source, including feedstock, garbage, old tires and plant waste. probably this is exaggerated but still... |
| Posted by:mhw |
| #10 Why produce ethanol from syngas when it can be converted into hydrocarbons via F-T? It then doesn't require any energy intensive distillation. My guess is GM and Coskata are going for the $0.51/gallon federal ethanol subsidy. Disappointing. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-01-14 22:53 |
| #9 What Nimble Spemble said. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-01-14 22:05 |
| #8 And people in Hell hope for ice water. Rational people do not hope, they think. There will be no change at the margin that reduces the need for us to be engaged in the Middle East for two reasons. First, Middle east oil will continue to be the cheapest source of energy on earth. Japan and Europe will not end their dependence on MEO in order to depend exclusively on more expensively produced domestic ethanol. Nor would we want them to for to do so would be to subsidize the Chinese who would become the sole customers of low cost Middle Eastern oil. The price of oil will not fall below the per BTU price of this ethanol because it would not make sense for us. The second is that the primary reason for the sheiks to donate to dawa-jihad is not their oil riches, which this discovery may diminish, but not to the extent it significantly reduces donations, but their resistance to the inevitable transition of their culture from medievalism to modernity. No culture has made this transition without substantial violence starting with the British in the 1600's. And I think it takes a lifetime to do it. Add to this the demographic challenges the ME faces, and there is no way this doesn't go on for at least 40 years, regardless of what we do. What we can, and I think very effectively, are doing is limit the scope of the violence to the ME itself. So as long as we want to remain the global hegemon, we will bear the burden of containing the violence associated with the entry of the ME to modernity to the ME itself. The alternative is to turn over hegemony to the other eager, willing, but harely able candidates, the aforementioned Indians or the Chinese. Then we could retire to our splendid isolation. As if. This does seem to be an extremely clever process and I am pleased to see that it is an American company, to the extent any multi-national is American, that will control it. It looks like the first ethanol solution that is not a taxpayer funded welfare scheme for the ADM and the Iowa farmers, and I hope they get screwed to the wall with their ethanol stills. But it won't solve the problem confronting us and the ME which arises from them having to confront a transition they desparately don't want to make but cannot avoid. It's the new white man's burden. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-01-14 20:21 |
| #7 IOn, ABCNEWS > OIL CRISIS AS 308,000 BARRELS OF OIL GO MISSING. US Govt audit of Denergy's handling of Strategic Petroleum Reserve. OTOH, REDDIT > OIL AT US$200 A BARREL? Can it, will it, should it, dare it, and why the Saudis-OPEC are to blame besides also being enemies of America!? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-01-14 19:58 |
| #6 nimble I think rational people hope for and expect change at the margin. At the margin, a few more people buy diesel electric hybrid, a few more people telework, maybe a few people use cheap ethanol, etc. at the margin, a few sheiks decide to hold off on their donation to dawa-jihad |
| Posted by: mhw 2008-01-14 19:35 |
| #5 Rule #6: "Energy independence" will not make problems in the Middle East go away because that will continue to be the cheapest source of energy in the world until it runs out, decades from now. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-01-14 17:06 |
| #4 Rule #1: TANSTAAFL. There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, when it comes to energy. Rule #2: There will be little or no cheap energy. Rule #3: Popular Science schemes will not be the answer to a maiden's prayer. Rule #4: It will take some time and some hard work to get there for alternatives to petroleum, but it can be done. Rule #5: It will also take the political will to do it, along with obeying the laws of physics. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul, Resident Imam 2008-01-14 16:57 |
| #3 I've already seen this unit. it has been in several movies and called: the Flux Capacitator. Is GM going to revive DeLorean.....? |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2008-01-14 14:25 |
| #2 Well, they are talking about shutting down Gitmo... |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2008-01-14 09:15 |
| #1 What about mooks, or are they no good for that either. |
| Posted by: Sperelet Forkbeard4041 2008-01-14 08:57 |