<VV> Re: Ethanol - is it worth it?

[werp knarly]

sorry les, BIG myth!

 it doesn't work that way

http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2005/03/28/daily15.html
http://journeytoforever.org/ethanol_energy.html
(this is interesting, it points out that the sierra club is against ethanol 
because they don't like how US farmers grow corn, i guess they like how 
arabs and texans product CRUD oil

btw, one bushel of soybeans makes about 1 gal of bio diesel and some very 
tasty protein meal for animal feed

Thanks!

Joe, Lisa, Teegan, and Mina
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Les" <corvair at mb.sympatico.ca>
To: <werpknarly at centurytel.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 7:00 PM
Subject: Ethanol - is it worth it?


> Well, if you want to keep your money at home, remember that in order to 
> make "x" BTUs of ethanol, you need to burn "x times 1.5" BTUs of diesel 
> farming the corn. And you know where that diesel comes from....
>
>
> --------------------
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 17:38:20 -0500
> From: "werp knarly" <werpknarly at centurytel.net>
> Subject: Re: Is it Worth It? Re: <VV> (E-85 selling for $1.69 per gal
> in Colorado last week)
> To: <fastvair at yahoogroups.com>
> Cc: virtualvairs at corvair.org
> Message-ID: <009201c54079$d558bc30$bad3fea9 at S0029301453>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> im sure its not worth it yet, but i like the idea of at least some of my 
> money staying in this country and not going to the middle east.  mine is a 
> long way from a daily driver, i may only put a tank or two thru it a year,
>
> sounds like bigger jets are in order... but does anyone have any ideas 
> what they might be for a 110 PG?
>
>
> Thanks!
>
> Joe,
> -- Original Message ----- 
>  From: FrankCB at aol.com To: werpknarly at centurytel.net ; 
> fastvair at yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 3:37 PM
>  Subject: Is it Worth It? Re: <VV> (E-85 selling for $1.69 per gal in 
> Colorado last week)
>
>
>  Joe et al,
>      Assuming that E-85 fuel is 85% ethanol (ethyl alcohol) and 15% 
> gasoline, it's unlikely that you'll save anything on fuel costs by using 
> it.  Ethanol has a heating value of only 11,500 BTU/lb while gasoline has 
> about 19,000 BTU/lb.  Therefore, pure ethanol has only about 60% of the 
> heating value of gasoline.  So if we take 85% of 11,500 we get 9775.  15% 
> of 19,000 gives 2850.  Adding 9775 to 2850 gives 12625 BTU/lb for the E-85 
> which is still about 66% of the heating value of gasoline.  So E-85 has 
> only about 2/3 the energy value of straight gasoline.  Therefore it's no 
> bargain unless the cost of gasoline gets up to nearly $3 per gallon.
>      Also since the stoichiometric ratio of ethanol is only 9 to 1 versus 
> the stoich of gasoline which is 14.6 to 1, you'd have to make major 
> changes ENRICHING the air/fuel mix fed to the engine.  Cars that are 
> designed from the factory to run on E-85 as well as straight gasoline have 
> a sensor that can tell which fuel is being fed (based on refractive index) 
> and adjust the fuel injection to compensate for that fuel or any mix of 
> fuel between 85% ethanol/15% gasoline all the way to 100% gasoline.
>      Is it worth it??
>      Frank "chemically pontificating" Burkhard
>