Biodiesel Edges Out Ethanool

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Biodiesel Edges Out Ethanol

Here is a nice article from Renewable Energy Access blog that compares energy efficiencies of ethanol & biodiesel, and wow, it turns out that biodiesel is a clear winner.

Excerpts

1. Ethanol (from corn) delivers 25 percent more energy than is used (mostly fossil fuel) in producing it, though much of that 25 percent energy dividend comes from the production of an ethanol byproduct, animal feed.

2. Net energy gain is much higher -- 93 percent -- from biodiesel fuel derived from soybeans

3. Alternative crops such as switchgrass or mixed prairie grasses, which can grow on marginal land with minimal input of fossil fuel derived fertilizers and pesticides, offer the best hope for the (ethanol) future

4. Growing both corn and soybeans caused soil and water pollution from such chemicals as the nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizer and from pesticides. But biodiesel used, per unit of energy gained, only a fraction of the nitrogen, phosphorus and pesticide (by weight) of corn production.

5. Re greenhouse gas emissions, emissions from the production and use of corn grain ethanol were 12 percent lower than the net emissions from gasoline; the reduction was 41 percent for biodiesel from soybeans.

Full article here

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