tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post5978816184861235030..comments2022-12-02T19:42:35.795-08:00Comments on Lunch with George!: Biodiesel: Not the answer, either?Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-38391511829074979432005-07-20T20:30:00.000-07:002005-07-20T20:30:00.000-07:00Well rats. It sounds like we've got a couple ...Well rats. It sounds like we've got a couple completely opposite conclusions about how much you get out vs. how much you have to put in.<br> <br>Here's the UNH paper that talks about biodiesel from algae: <a href="http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html</a> (New Hampshire sports cheer: Gimme a "U"! Gimme an "N"! Gimme an "H"! What's that spell? UNHHHHH!).<br> <br>It includes a great comparison of biodiesel against hydrogen. And here's what it says about the energy efficiency of biodiesel from a soybean crop, based on a report by DOE and USDA (<a href="http://www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/fy98/24089.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/fy98/24089.pdf</a>):<br><br><i>... biodiesel produced from soy has an energy balance of 3.2:1. That means that for each unit of energy put into growing the soybeans and turning the soy oil into biodiesel, we get back 3.2 units of energy in the form of biodiesel. That works out to an energy efficiency of 320% (when only looking at fossil energy input - input from the sun, for example, is not included). The reason for the energy efficiency being greater than 100% is that the growing soybeans turn energy from the sun into chemical energy (oil).</i><br><br>That seems to be in direct contradiction to the 73% efficiency stated in the Yahoo article.<br> <br>But supposedly algae is much more efficient than soybeans, maybe 2-3 times better or more. Plus, you can use waste streams from humans and farm animals to feed the algae, reducing pollution. Plus, the algae can be used to produce fertilizer after its oil is extracted. And you can grow enough replace our *entire* current use of petroleum fuel for transportation on 9.5 million acres, about 1% of what we currently use for crops and grazing animals. And with zero net greenhouse gas emissions.<br> <br>Where do I go to invest in an algae farm?Georgenoreply@blogger.com