In article >,
says...
> In article > ,
> "Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:
>
> > "Omelet" > wrote in message
> > >
> > > I agree it's a scam. Biofuel can be made from waste straw and weeds.
> > > They don't have to use food to make it.
> > > --
> >
> > In a sense, it makes no difference. A crop is a crop. If you take 10,000
> > acres of corn to make fuel, it is no different that taking that same 10,000
> > acres and planting hay or weeds.
>
> Wrong.
>
> Grow an acre of corn.
> Use the corn for food.
> Use the corn STALKS for making fuel.
>
> Double duty for the land.
>
> Corn stalks are usually burned...
>
> 1 acre of wheat.
> Wheat goes for food,
> Wheat straw for fuel.
>
>
> > The yield per acre is the only thing that
> > counts. What is driving up prices of food crops is the fact that that
> > 10,000 acres is taken over for biofuel. No different than if it was made
> > into a shopping mall or housing, it is just less area to farm for food.
>
> Please see the above.
>
> >
> > Farmers (especially the big ones) are going to grow what makes the best
> > economic sense to them. The corn used for fuel is raised just for that and
> > generally varieties that we'd not eat anyway. Same with cattle feed
> > varieties.
>
> Again, yield can be doubled by using the waste.
> There is, again NO NEED to use food to make ethanol!!!
> Cellulose can be broken down and used instead.
>

So true, we waste an awful lot of potential energy. Look at the oil
cracking process, that little flame jet that you see at the tops of many
a refinery are pretty much methane or hydrogen burning off.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-refining.htm


Then of course add in light from that big ball of fire in the sky that
we call the Sun, as well as tidal interractions between Earth and it's
Moon.

There's a lot of energy out there just waiting to be taken.