Corn Ethanol (Biofuel) is not as “Green” as Believed and it is Detrimental to the Environment as well as the Economy By: Saeger Morrison Science and Technology PhD. Nora Demers Presented March 10, 2009

What is Biofuel?  Solid, Liquid or Gas Fuel  Derived from Biomass  Carbon Source  Replenished Over a Short Period of Time

What is Corn Ethanol?  Produced by Fermentation, Chemical processing and Distillation of Corn  Is the most common type of ethanol in the United States  C 2 H 6 O

History of Oil and Biofuels  Up to 1 million years ago – Human Control of Fire  2000 B.C. to 625 B.C – First use of an Oil Based Product  1896 – First Car developed to run on 100% Ethanol  1970’s – Clean Air Act and Oil Embargo  First Jet Travel with Biofuel

Oil Prices / Barrel from

Why is Corn Ethanol a Terrible Fuel Source for the Future

Extremely Inefficient Production  Natural gas based fertilizers / Insecticides  Farm equipment  Transformation from corn  Transportation

Cost Cost ItemDetail$/acre$/bushel Soil tillageConservation tillage SeedRate of 28,000/acre Planting Fertilizernitrogen ammonium phosphate potash90.08 application60.05 Herbicidematerials application60.05 Other pesticidesseed treatment10.01 Harvesting Trucking Drying Crop insurance Interest on operating Other costs Land costs (rent) Total costsWithout land cost Land cost included Amount of Fuel Produced328gal.

Think Your Saving Money?

Fuel typeMJ/LMJ/kg Research octane number Dry wood (20% moisture) ~19.5 Methanol Ethanol E (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) Liquefied natural gas25.3~55 Autogas (LPG) (60% Propane + 40% Butane) Aviation gasoline (high-octane gasoline, not jet fuel) Gasohol /94 (90% gasoline + 10% ethanol) Regular Gasoline min. 91 Premium Gasoline max. 95 Diesel Charcoal, extruded5023

Dead Zones (Gulf of Mexico)

Still Pollutes and Releases CO2

Reduces fossil fuel imports  Almost $49.1 billion in annual defense  The loss of 828,400 jobs in the U.S. economy  The loss of $159.9 billion in Gross National Product (GNP) annually  The loss of $13.4 billion in federal and state revenues annually  The total economic penalties for importing oil range from $297.2 to $304.9 billion annually  Major Problem – Can not eliminate fossil fuel imports  If all the US corn production was diverted to ethanol it would yield the equivalent of only billion gallons of gasoline as compared to the 140 billion gallons consumed per year.  Not Enough Fuel

Government’s Role Subsidies – in 2006 was $7 billion for 4.9 billion gallons of Ethanol  The Energy Policy Act of 2005  In May 2007, President Bush issued an executive order to cut greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.

Future of Ethanol  " We believe that World production levels could reach hundreds of billions of gallons per year by 2012”  The Renewable Fuels Association counts 113 U.S. ethanol distilleries in operation and another 78 under construction.  Amount of production set by the U.S. for 2012 is 7.5 billion gallons  Amount of production that is proposed for 2017 in the United States is 35 billion gallons per year

Hydrogen the Real “Future Fuel”  (1) the cars are completely emission-free  (2) the fuel cells have no moving parts  (3) hydrogen is renewable and abundant  (4) the cars are compatible with cold weather  (5) the fuel cells are compact and lightweight--not overly bulky or heavy  (6) the cars are about 3 times as efficient as gasoline-powered cars  (7) the cars will have incredible mile ranges  (8) the tanks can be refueled quickly  (9) hydrogen is safe, has been tested rigorously for use in vehicles, and is being used in many vehicles already.

Hydrogen Cars