Corn as fuel?
@flowerchilde (12529)
United States
April 24, 2008 8:27am CST
I've heard recently that some third world countries are becoming very angry with us over the rocketing price for corn (and other grains) as the prices rise with our using them for fuels, and thus more people are now starving..! What do you think about this? Should we be weighing and balancing the benefits of the different types of alternative fuel, as opposed to the detriments?
3 people like this
6 responses
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
24 Apr 08
I have yet to see a gas station with corn fuel where is it and they have feilds of corn for fuel and feilds of corn for eatting I heard that ya cant eat teh corn they use for fuel but I still havent seen any att he stations so who is getting it thin I will start making moonshine to fuel my car lol
2 people like this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
24 Apr 08
My hubby gets mad because he has to search for gas free of it! Especially for his Harley.. which the corn fuel additive can damage the bike.. I've heard that about using the corn byproducts for the fuel, yet the prices of everything made with any corn at all is skyrocketing as is the cost of eggs, milk, poultry and other corn fed livestock.. Go figure! I think a little moonshine may help me feel better about all this.
1 person likes this
@gantwick (849)
• United States
24 Apr 08
I don't think the price increase is due to using corn for fuel, but rather due to the fact that as fuel prices rise, the cost of shipping things rises and the shippers (trucks, trains, ships, planes, etc.) raise their prices. Then the producers, to cover their costs, raise their prices.
2 people like this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
24 Apr 08
This is so true! Yet I've also heard lots of reports about the cost of feeding livestock, and poultry, thus the rocketing cost of milk, eggs, meat and poultry..
2 people like this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
24 Apr 08
Here is my opinion, we have been using corn for fuel and experiments for years. The government mandate how much can be used. I don't know off hand if that amount has increased. Farmer have little reason to grow corn for food since it is worth squat on the market. They make at least 5 times the amount for fuel or genetically altered corn. IF the price of corn has to go up to pay the farmers properly, then so be it. We have lost so many farms to people overseas because farmers can not afford to up keep their land due to unfair pricing (and unfair taxes).
Let people be mad.
Did you know that the majority f cattle farms in the US are not owned by US citizens? Now that is something to worry about.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
24 Apr 08
This is hurting a lot of people all over the world as well. The farmers are now grwoing less corn for the general public then they ever have due to the E85 fuels need for corn to produce it. I read that something like 30% or so of Minnesotan corn grown will go for fuel manufacturing. There seems to be no end what so ever to the fuel crisis does it?
HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@AmbiePam (85487)
• United States
24 Apr 08
I am quite perplexed over the use as corn for fuel. I read a report last week, and then it was confirmed when I watched the news, that using corn as fuel was NOT as good for the environment as it had been touted to be. In fact, they said it really wasn't a good option. Apparently it took some time before they felt comfortable issuing that report.
1 person likes this
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
28 Apr 08
I agree that it was not a good option for the environment as it takes so much fuel to harvest and then truck it out to the refinery - plus it does not give as good performance as petroleum so even more is used... then it damages engines.
I am pretty certain that such things were known before production went into wide effect - probably millions of dollars were spent on analysts that considered every possibility and probability.
ethanol is great when it is being made from the waste of another product... such as in cane sugar growing countries where it is made off of the waste in sugar production....
wonder if we could utilize sorghum grass?
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
28 Apr 08
shoot I am mad at our country for it too!
It was a horrible mistake to introduce corn ethanol. a waste of resources for an inefficient fuel.
ethanol makes since in the countries that produce corn sugar as they are using the waste of a product so it is nearly a free source of power... but to grow corn specific for making into fuel is not cost efficient. It has played havoc on our entire economy. And to top it off it is the ruin of many engines.
Farmers are growing corn because it is now more lucrative a crop. corn for feed for animals is making the feed for livestock go up - consequence - meat on the plate is going up.
corn oil is going up.
corn meal is going up.
the ethanol gas is not only bad for many engines it also gives less mileage performance per gallon.
it does not save money to produce the ethanol as it still needs to be harvested using engines that use OIL/GAS! and then it has to be trucked to a refinery using, you got it, vehicles that use a LOT OF OIL and GAS!
now if they would use something like algae and pond scum I am all for it!
