SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Strategies & Market Trends : Booms, Busts, and Recoveries
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
To: Slagle who wrote (63985)5/19/2005 10:27:35 PM
From: Snowshoe  Read Replies (2) of 74559
 
>>Can Chinese agriculture support a large scale ethanol industry and feed the country too? I thought the North China wheat growing lands were similar to our upper midwest but not as productive due to less fertile soil and a dryer and cooler climate.<<

I doubt it. On a per capita basis, the US is in better shape than China for producing bio-fuels. The current corn-based US ethanol production is a joke, because it relies on a lot of fossil-fuel inputs. But cellulose-based ethanol has serious potential.

Imagine vast tracts of perennial native switchgrass that does not require energy for annual plowing, seeding and cultivation. Mix in wild legumes to provide nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere, so you don't need artificial fertilizer inputs derived from natural gas. Rely on natural rainfall instead of irrigation. Then convert the plant material to ethanol using enzymes and/or bacteria. For further energy savings, the University of Minnesota is developing a method to run a fuel cell directly from a water/ethanol mix. This would save much of the energy currently wasted in the distillation process to separate ethanol from water. Then burn the fuel in lightweight carbon-fiber vehicles.

With the above innovations and a stable population, we might be able to preserve some vestige of our current lifestyle on a sustainable basis.
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  

HomeMailHotSubjectMarksPeopleMarksKeepersSettings
Terms Of UseContact UsCopyright/IP PolicyPrivacy PolicyAbout UsFAQAdvertise on SI
© 2025 Knight Sac Media.  Data provided by Twelve Data, Alpha Vantage, and CityFALCON News