Biodiesel overpowers ethanol, research says
Alexei Barrionuevo / New York Times
CHICAGO -- Biodiesel produced from soybeans produces more usable energy and reduces greenhouse gases more than corn-based ethanol, making it more deserving of subsidies, according to a study being published this month in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The study, done by researchers at the University of Minnesota and at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., points to the environmental benefits of the biodiesel over ethanol made from corn, stating that ethanol provides 25 percent more energy a gallon than is required for its production, while soybean biodiesel generates 93 percent more energy.
The study's authors also found that ethanol, in its production and consumption, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 12 percent, compared with fossil fuels.
Biodiesel, they said, reduced such emissions 41 percent, compared with fossil fuels.
The study concludes that the future of replacing oil and gas lies with cellulosic ethanol produced from low-cost materials like switch grass or wheat straw, if it is grown on agriculturally marginal land or from waste plant material.
Indeed, the study published by the National Academy of Sciences found that neither ethanol nor biodiesel could replace much petroleum without having an impact on food supply.
If all American corn and soybean production were dedicated to biofuels, that fuel would replace only 12 percent of gas demand and 6 percent of diesel demand, the study notes.
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