AutoblogGreen

I don't think anyone thought corn ethanol was viable just yet.

But I'm surprised. Most ethanol is blended to make E10 for oxygenation requirements especially with MTBE becoming banned.

Just a guess but investor cash dries up in hard economic times. I would suspect some of those plants were betting on future demand and not current demand. And counting on investors to see them through to that time. The negative press and uncertainty with Congress combined with the economic times may have make the investor cash dry up.

The question becomes if there isn't enough ethanol to satisfy E10 requirements, do we go back to MTBE or drop the additive altogether?

Reply

Ironic that as oil hits record high prices we should be switching to alternatives, and the folks who make the alternatives are going bankrupt.

The price of corn was already very high, but went a lot higher with the loss of fields from the recent floods in the Mississippi river basin. More irony there, as in the old days the river would flood and that would replenish the fields with fresh rich soil, making for a bountiful harvest. Now, it washes away both crops and the fossil fuel based fertilizer that was put down.

Reply

Wow, just a year ago they were building them as fast as they could, and now the bubble has apparently burst. This despite the huge ethanol subsidy, biofuel mandates, and the GM/Ford yellow-washing campaigns.

Reply

Aside from noting I'm doubled over with tears of laughter no further comment is needed.

Reply

E 5% is fine with me.

Reply

I hate to see any of the workers losing jobs. But how can it (ethanol for example) be justified when at best it takes five gallons of groundwater to produce one gallon of ethanol. The groundwater table is permanently reduced instead of being conserved for wise use for human-based crop food production for the future.

Too, it gets less MPG per gallon. An unfortunate and once again short-sided plan that isn't the answer. MTBE? I far as I know, European fuel doesn't contain it, and I understand that Euro fuels are more refined. Look at the MPG figures there - they are higher for the same vehicles and are as clean. I'm sure the born again idiots in Washington will save us with their er, uh, uh, plan....DOH!

Reply

And there it is. Maybe we can learn from our mistakes, not make fuel from food. Use algae for biodiesel, waste cellulose for ethanol. Or hopefully LS9 gets going, and we can have 104 octane biofuel, which would be loads better than ethanol (or mixed with ethanol to give better emissions)

Reply

My feelings are captured by exactly your comments.

ROTFLOL !

BTW, When do the subsidies expire?

Reply