Stop Biofuel Lunacy: Effects on Global Food Crisis

[mheslep]

I see the price of corn just hit 6$/bushel. The silly thing is that the US still subsidizes corn farmers. $57B in corn subsidies 1995-2006. Stop the madness.
http://farm.ewg.org/farm/progdetail.php?fips=00000&progcode=corn

Meanwhile DOE's Bodman says:

"As we pursue diversity in our overall energy mix, we must also pursue diversity in our biofuels," Mr. Bodman said at a conference in Alexandria, Va. "This means moving away gradually from ethanol produced from foodstocks like corn."...

"The reason that cellulosic fuels like ethanol are not on the market in large volumes is not because we don't know how to make it in commercial quantities," Mr. Bodman said. "The production process at present is too complex and too costly, but I am confident that we can find the way forward."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120856165709227927.html

 

[Ivan Seeking]

NBC did a report on the food crisis tonight.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#24261496

They report that this year, 28% of the grain harvest will go towards biofuel production. But they also report that increased demand from India and China, the price of oil, adverse weather conditions, and biofuels, have combined to make a "perfect storm" that is creating a "silent tsunami of hunger".

 

[mheslep]

PBS NOVA "Car of the Future"

Aired tonight 4/22; the episode will be available online tomorrow 4/23.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/car/program.html

Hosted by NPR's Car Guys, Click and Clack so it was entertaining, but I was hoping for more detail on the technology. It hit many of the points and subjects discussed in PF vehicle / alt. energy threads:
-Hydrogen cars
-Iceland's H demonstration buses.
-Fuel Cells. FC's still too expensive, too fragile.
-Ethanol
-All Electric cars: Obligatory visit to the Tesla E care shop w/ test drive; Chevy Volt.
-MIT's Sloan on engine efficiency
-Cellulosic. Dartmouth's Lynd has been on this since time began, so he gets the Mr Cellulosic title and caught the camera for this one.
-Rocky Mountain Institute - car energy efficiency

Dings:
-No Algae!
-Ye Olde Hindenburg clip shown to scare everyone away from self serve H stations. (Everybody knows now the Hindenburg explosion was due to the flammable paint/coating and not the H, right?)
-Obligatory do it now commentary or we're all doomed by AWG

http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/15-10/ff_plant?currentPage=2
http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/news/2008/01/lutz_volt_qa

 

[esbo]

I heard on the radio today that the UK is to review its biofuel policy, ie stop it or reduce
it, and try to get the EU to do the same.

28% of grain to biofuel is a shocking figure.]

Maybe I will have to start eating oil in retaliation?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

"Instead of making ethanol out of corn, let's make it out of something that no one eats, like broccoli" - Ali Velshi, CNN

 

[W3pcq]

I watched something on C-span about the food prices and shortages. One major problem is that we are using corn instead of other plants like rapeseed, or , I think they said, switchgrass. It appears that rapeseed oil as a diesel additive is a good idea, but the corn farmers are getting all the subsides, and other plants are as a result are being ignored. Rapeseed oil is much easier to refine, and it grows easy, and in arid regions.

Personally, I don't know enough about rapeseed, and about farmland use etc to make judgements. It seams to me that growing tons of rapeseed would take up land that could have been used to grow other arid liking plants like wheat.

One major problem outlined in the program on C-span was that many countries, especially poor nations in Africa, have been pressured to privatize their farming industries, and have subsequently caused them to rely on foreign foods like powdered milk, grains, etc. This can be a good thing when prices are low, but at times like now, when prices have been raised, they are now forced to buy at unreasonable prices when they would otherwise be able to feed themselves if the privatization hadn't taken place. They are as a result forced to buy crops from the corporations who own the rights, to feed them, and if the corporations have a tight enough grip, they can raise prices and the people will have little choice in the matter.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Another factor contributing to the price of food globally is speculation in the commodities markets. Some people are even suggesting that this is playing a key role the current food prices.

The price of oil is also affecting food prices.

Also, a mill in Australia that processed rice for 20 million people has closed due to a lack of supply; due to drought.

 

[esbo]

Aired tonight 4/22; the episode will be available online tomorrow 4/23.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/car/program.html

Hosted by NPR's Car Guys, Click and Clack so it was entertaining, but I was hoping for more detail on the technology. It hit many of the points and subjects discussed in PF vehicle / alt. energy threads:
-Hydrogen cars
-Iceland's H demonstration buses.
-Fuel Cells. FC's still too expensive, too fragile.
-Ethanol
-All Electric cars: Obligatory visit to the Tesla E care shop w/ test drive; Chevy Volt.
-MIT's Sloan on engine efficiency
-Cellulosic. Dartmouth's Lynd has been on this since time began, so he gets the Mr Cellulosic title and caught the camera for this one.
-Rocky Mountain Institute - car energy efficiency

Dings:
-No Algae!
-Ye Olde Hindenburg clip shown to scare everyone away from self serve H stations. (Everybody knows now the Hindenburg explosion was due to the flammable paint/coating and not the H, right?)
-Obligatory do it now commentary or we're all doomed by AWG

http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/15-10/ff_plant?currentPage=2
http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/news/2008/01/lutz_volt_qa

When I tried to watch that it would not work because I am outside the US.
However, I got a proxy server from here and it worked!
http://www.aliveproxy.com/us-proxy-list/
First time I have ever managed to use a proxy successfully!

 

[mheslep]

When I tried to watch that it would not work because I am outside the US.
However, I got a proxy server from here and it worked!
http://www.aliveproxy.com/us-proxy-list/
First time I have ever managed to use a proxy successfully!

Hmm, had no idea PBS video was blocked outside the US. I suppose they need to restrict the load somehow.

 

[esbo]

Hmm, had no idea PBS video was blocked outside the US. I suppose they need to restrict the load somehow.

I was quite surprised to find it blocked too, and I thought maybe I had something
else configured wrong however, it came up with some message saying it was not
available outside the US and there was something for Canadians to do to get it.
However The proxy I used is transparent, I am not too sure what that means
but when I do a "what is my IP" most give my real IP (one gave the proxy (and real))
so they obviously don't try too hard to check your location. It did cause a few problems
with my google search bar though (thought I had a virus or something).

I will try some of the non-transparent and annomymous ones next, however
in my previous experience they never work.

It's is a very good quality program though, however I found it difficult to understand
Tom in part 5 occasionallylike when he said 0-50 in 4 seconds and also something
about lithium batteries (still can't make that bit out), was something to do with it
not being a heavy metal.

 

[mheslep]

...
Tom in part 5 occasionallylike when he said 0-50 in 4 seconds and also something
about lithium batteries (still can't make that bit out), was something to do with it
not being a heavy metal.

Zero to 60 in 4 seconds.
http://www.teslamotors.com/performance/perf_specs.php
Uses Li Ion batteries and yes Lithium is not a heavy metal so its easy on the environment.

 

[CrazyAnarcho]

the ultimate boifuel

I read this artical a little while back anout spme people in texas working on using cultured algi as a biofuel. This would make a lot of sense because they don't affect the food market and large quantities of it can be grown in green houses without even using soil.

 

[mheslep]

I read this artical a little while back anout spme people in texas working on using cultured algi as a biofuel. This would make a lot of sense because they don't affect the food market and large quantities of it can be grown in green houses without even using soil.

Algae to the rescue
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=211274

 

[H8wm4m]

Biomass from industrial hemp cultivation can be used to create methanol, and far more than corn can per acre.
The oil from hemp seeds can also bo used for biodiesel.
(interestingly, the first diesel engine was ran on plant oils, more specifically hempseed oil)

While providing energy needs, hempseed oil has amazing nutritional attributes (http://raskin8500-226.rutgers.edu/~alexanderpoulev/HempOil.pdf )

Industrial hemp can also be used to make any grade of paper, and hemp paper will not turn yellow over time. Why use rainforests?

Hemp fibre (the longest and strongest natural fibre known) can also be used to strong beams and other construction materials, which would also lessen the need for deforestation.

The roots of a hemp plant will (and do) grow almost anywhere and replenish the soil with nitrogen, making it perfect for use between crop rotations.

 

[H8wm4m]

Wikipedia - Hemp:

Industrial hemp has thousands of potential uses, from paper to textiles to biodegradable plastics to health food to fuel but it has not been the great commercial success that the enthusiast hoped for in countries where it is legal to harvest. It is one of the fastest growing biomasses on the planet, and one of the earliest domesticated plants known. It also runs parallel with the "Green Future" objectives that are becoming increasingly popular. Hemp
requires little to no pesticides, replenishes soil with nutrients and nitrogen, controls erosion of the topsoil, and produces lots of oxygen, considering how fast it grows. Furthermore, Hemp could be used to replace many potentially harmful products, such as tree paper (the process of which uses bleaches and other toxic chemicals, apart from contributing to deforestation), cosmetics (which often contain synthetic oils that can clog pores and provide little nutritional content for the skin), plastics (which are petroleum based and cannot decompose), and more.

I know it is wikipedia...

Popular Mechanics - 1938 - New Billion Dollar Crop:

Hemp is the standard fiber of the world. It has great tensile strength and durability. It is used to produce more than 5,000 textile products, ranging from rope to fine laces, and the woody "hurds" remaining after the fiber has been removed contain more than seventy-seven per cent cellulose, and can be used to produce more than 25,000 products, ranging from dynamite to Cellophane.

From the farmers' point of view, hemp is an easy crop to grow and will yield from three to six tons per acre on any land that will grow corn, wheat, or oats. It has a short growing season, so that it can be planted after other crops are in. It can be grown in any state of the union. The long roots penetrate and break the soil to leave it in perfect condition for the next year's crop. The dense shock of leaves, eight to twelve feet above the ground, chokes out weeds. Two successive crops are enough to reclaim land that has been abandoned because of Canadian thistles or quack grass.

However, the connection of hemp as a crop and marijuana seems to be exaggerated. The drug is usually produced from wild hemp or locoweed which can be found on vacant lots and along railroad tracks in every state. If federal regulations can be drawn to protect the public without preventing the legitimate culture of hemp, this new crop can add immeasurably to American agriculture and industry.

And that was back when a billion dollars meant something.

The Composition of Hemp Seed Oil
and Its Potential as an Important Source
of Nutrition:

Introduction
Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seed oil is valued primarily for its
nutritional properties as well as for the health benefits associated with
it. Although its fatty acid composition is most often noted, with oil
content ranging from 25-35%, whole hemp seed is additionally comprised
of approximately 20-25% protein, 20-30% carbohydrates, and
10-15% fiber, along with an array of trace minerals (Deferne and Pate,
1996). With a complete source of all essential amino and fatty acids,
hemp seed oil is a complete nutritional source. In addition, constituents
exist within the oil that have been shown to exhibit pharmacological
activity (Deferne and Pate, 1996; Erasmus, 1999).

Hemp seed oil contains linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolic acid
(LNA) as its major omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA), respectively. These fatty acids comprise the most desirable
contents of the oil, especially due to the ratios in which they exist. The
3:1 ratio of LA to LNA is alleged to be optimal for nutrition (Deferne
and Pate, 1996; Callaway, Tennila & Pate, 1996; Erasmus, 1999). The
additional presence of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in hemp seed oil
ultimately makes its nutritional value superior to most comparable
seed oils. The myriad of benefits reported to be attributable to omega-
3 PUFA include anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-thrombotic
properties. In addition, dietary omega-3 PUFA help to increase general
metabolic rates and promote the burning of fat (Erasmus, 1999; Simopoulos,
1994)

You absolutely must read this paper!
[http://raskin8500-226.rutgers.edu/~alexanderpoulev/HempOil.pdf]

 

[mheslep]

Biomass from industrial hemp cultivation can be used to create methanol, and far more than corn can per acre. ...

Cellulosic is still too inefficient and therefore unaffordable. Check back in a couple years.

 

[H8wm4m]

First of all, please excuse my oversimplification of the subject, and my slightly off-topic post.
Your response prompted me to do a bit more research.

Cellulosic is still too inefficient and therefore unaffordable. Check back in a couple years.

Do you mean that cellulosic ethanol cannot compete with corn ethanol prices?

While it is true that cellulosic ethanol is currently more costly for the consumer than corn ethanol,
how does one judge which is the more viable ethanol of the future?

What factors must be weighed?

Can anyone biofuel solely supply the worlds liquid fuel needs?

There seems to be a general consensus that the production of corn ethanol is not economically sustainable.
I am of the opinion that the production of corn ethanol is not environmentially sustainable, especially when compared to the environmental benefits of industrial hemp cultivation.

- Industrial hemp renews soil unsuitable for other crops by breaking it up, choking out weeds, and resupplying it with nitrogen and other nutrients.
- Industrial hemp requires little or no pesticides or fertilizers due to its natural resistance and quick growth, thus reducing pollution.
- Industrial hemp is one of the fastest growing biomasses on the planet, making it the best choice for cellulosic ethanol production and thus saving valuable farmland.
- Industrial hemp can be used made over 25,000 products (as of 1938) so if ethanol demand falls, hemp crops can still be used for construction purposes, plastics, food, and more.

I am interested in hearing responses from others to the above boldfaced questions.

 

[Andre]

Some thoughts

Hemp requires cultivated land to grow. So does crops for food. Biofuels should not compete with food. There are priorities.

Ethanol (C₂H₄OH) is already a partly oxidized product of sugars, hence it's energy production is inferior to other hydrocarbonates.

The energy production of any biofuel is limited to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the incoming solar light energy in the order of magnitude of several 100 W/m²

First fraction: The absorbed light used in the photosynthetic process may only be a few W/m²

Second fraction: The part of the crop, suitable to fuel production is limited.

Third fraction: the loss due to conversion, transport and limited efficiency in combustion engines.

It's very likely that the area required to grow biofuel for sustainment of the energy demand exceeds area available by orders of magnitude, while we need all that area to feed mankind.

Finally, crops have a tendency to fail occasionally.

 

[mheslep]

...

First fraction: The absorbed light used in the photosynthetic process may only be a few W/m²

Second fraction: The part of the crop, suitable to fuel production is limited.

Third fraction: the loss due to conversion, transport and limited efficiency in combustion engines.

It's very likely that the area required to grow biofuel for sustainment of the energy demand exceeds area available by orders of magnitude, while we need all that area to feed mankind.

Finally, crops have a tendency to fail occasionally.

I thought this was already discussed over on the Algae thread https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=1586559&postcount=4" where it was shown it depends on the biofuel, but it could be done in a very reasonable land area. In particular a biocrop producing 10,000 gal/acre - year could supply the entire US oil market in 19,000 sq mi. By comparison, Corn ethanol at a gross 400gal/acre-year currently uses ~23k sq miles in the US. Its just not cost effective yet.