an idea

[dchenes]

I read something the other day that said that if we started converting to running cars on corn-based ethanol, there wouldn't be enough corn to feed people.

To which I say, there's a solution. Stop putting high fructose corn syrup in everything, and use the corn for ethanol instead. That should also help some with the American obesity issue. (Why in hell does sausage need to have corn syrup in it, anyway?)

Comments

[marmota.livejournal.com]

My impression, and mind you it isn't a well-researched one, is that the recent spate of "distilled fuel is bad because it would use food" articles originate from pro-oil organizations... it's a straw dog, as non-food distilling of methanol works fine too.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I think there'd be plenty. I am pretty sure the government still pays farmers NOT to plant to capacity--it doesn't have to come for corn, OR, maybe we plant other foodstuffs elsewhere and let the midwest become the fuel producers.

You're not wrong, I think.

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

Not that against ethanol in theory, but I've also heard the argument that even if we used ALL THE CORN in the US to make Ethanol, it would only satisfy about 20% of our need for oil/gasoline anyway. *sigh*

[biophile6.livejournal.com]

Its pretty inefficient, yeah.

Cant we just take subsidy corn, and do reforming on that? It could fill some gap. Maybe water it down with switchgrass into a soup that can ferment.

Yum.

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

Winos siphoning "gas" to drink. Marvelous. :P

[biophile6.livejournal.com]

lottery=math tax
E85=chemistry tax

[bridgetminerva.livejournal.com]

There is a grass that gwos wild and is not edible. It makes better Bio desiel the corn and would be easier to deal with.

But Corn has a lobby and this grass don't

[biophile6.livejournal.com]

I hear that argument too. But the thing is, for years America has had a corn surplus...why the subsidies? Too much corn. The argument that we are taking food from the mouths of the starving (in other countries) has its merit, but for us, now, this is an additive market and not one that robs us. Yes, burning fuel rather than eating seems fundamentally wrong. But the assumption is incorrect.

I'd love to leave corn syrup out ofd stuff, it just helps give you candidiasis overgrowth.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Here's an idea--can we make it out of kudzu?

[biophile6.livejournal.com]

SWEET