Flex Fuel Trip
Sick 'n Tired
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,969
Likes: 47
From: League City, TX
E85 also has be be trucked from refinery to distribution center. It can't be piped like regular gas so those rigs moving it around the country are using...you guessed it, Diesel. So for the time being, using E85 has no real "patriotic" value. However, that will change as the infrastructure gets established and cellulose products other than corn are identified.
Moreover, E85 production is essentially a distillation requiring ALOT of heat which = more energy usage in production.
Moreover, E85 production is essentially a distillation requiring ALOT of heat which = more energy usage in production.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 118
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According to the NEVC (http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/faqs/energy.php), for every 100 BTU consumed to "plant corn, harvest the crop, transport it, etc." 138 BTU are produced. They claim a 38% gain vs. production expenditures.
Obviously it's possible that the NEVC is like every other site that only presents statistics that support their advocacy. I'm too lazy to search what the equivalent output is for fossil fuels...any idea?
Obviously it's possible that the NEVC is like every other site that only presents statistics that support their advocacy. I'm too lazy to search what the equivalent output is for fossil fuels...any idea?
Sick 'n Tired
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,969
Likes: 47
From: League City, TX
I don't know of any off hand, but when making the comparison one could argue that the process of refining oil is somewhat simplistic when compared to processing ethanol.
I'm sure there are a great many sites with pro/cons on both sides of the issue. Being a Scientist myself I can tell you that stats and data can be "manipulated" and cherry picked until you get the results you want/need.
I'm sure there are a great many sites with pro/cons on both sides of the issue. Being a Scientist myself I can tell you that stats and data can be "manipulated" and cherry picked until you get the results you want/need.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 118
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You know what makes comparison almost impossible, too, is that the anti-gas guys are including the amount of life (and time) needed to produce oil deposits for fossil fuels. So, for example, the claim is that it takes 196,000 pounds of plant matter to produce 1 gallon of gas, and that the combined amount of fossil fuel consumed since the Industrial Revolution (1751) contains the equivalent carbon of all the plants grown in the earth in a 13,300 year period.
So factor in the cost of creating an Earth and Sol to heat it, and THEN we'll have a number.
I'm still going to try the stuff before I condemn the idea of E85.
So factor in the cost of creating an Earth and Sol to heat it, and THEN we'll have a number.
I'm still going to try the stuff before I condemn the idea of E85.
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Colo_Steve
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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Jun 2, 2004 03:00 PM
