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Non-Tech : Alternative energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sweet Ol who wrote (8617)	7/23/2010 4:07:40 PM
From: Jacob Snyder	Respond to of 16955

re cellulose ethanol: The best plants today for cellulose ethanol, are corn and sugarcane, because the industry is already set up to grow them, and that's where the ethanol infrastructure is. So, at first, cellulose ethanol factories will be bolted on to existing ethanol facilities, and use the non-food parts of those plants. After that, probably waste from forestry. After that, switchgrass and other plants that are grown entirely for their cellulose. Much of the Great Plains cannot continue to be used for grazing and food crops. The topsoil is being mined; fossil aquifers are being pumped out. Switchgrass won't need irrigating, and the roots are left in place, so it will end erosion. Or we could turn the Great Plains back over to the buffalo. Or wait till the next Dust Bowl forces change. Only some trees are useful for lumber, but any tree can be used for cellulose ethanol. There is lots of land where only non-lumber trees can grow well. For instance, in Alaska there are vast stands of Black Spruce in the interior, useless for timber. Not even moose will eat it.