Energy Shortage Right? Why don't we start making our own biofuel?

[jimmydasaint]

I would love to make some biofuel for myself using vegetable oil, ethanol and a catalyst due to the prohibitively high cost of fuel at the moment and the probability that the cost will remain high in the future. The question is, will it be economical to do so or is it not worth the hassle?

[ecoli]

that's the problem... it's not cost effective, not even on a large scale. The subsidies given to farmers to produced ethanol biofuels is driving up food prices.

[Ladeira]

Well, I've seen a documentary, many years ago (no, I was not a baby) about a fast food owner who was using used (very used haha) vegetable oil to make biofuel, specifically biodiesel...

 

Well, I don't think it's worth the hassle. I think it's much better to make soap, I guess the price of vegetable oil is much higher than biofuel, correct me if I'm wrong please.

[iNow]

Have you seen YT's cool thread over here?

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32912

[Mr Skeptic]

Using used oil makes it economical, but dirty. Not necessarily a happy thing to put in your engine. Anyhow, I doubt you have a diesel engine.

[bascule]

You can buy biodiesel at the pump. Check this map:

 

http://biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/retailfuelingsites/default.shtm

[arnoldschwartz]

I think a lot of people are too lazy to make thier own biofeul and thier aint no filling stations for biofuel in thier neigbourhood

[ecoli]

I think a lot of people are too lazy to make thier own biofeul and thier aint no filling stations for biofuel in thier neigbourhood

It's not a matter of laziness, its one of economic viability. Energy production has to be more on a more massive scale to be cost effective.

[DJBruce]

It is not cost effective but if you are interested in trying to save money on gas try and look into converting your engine to run on used vegetable oil. I forget what modifications it requires but once it is set up right your car can run on used vegetable oil that you normally can get for free from restaurants.

[johnpierce79]

Raising biofuel forests in mountain areas will save farmland, make full use of the uninhabited mountains, and increase local people's family income if they are employed to take care of the trees.

[Mokele]

Raising biofuel forests in mountain areas will save farmland, make full use of the uninhabited mountains, and increase local people's family income if they are employed to take care of the trees.

 

Except that:

a) trees cannot be made into biofuel

b) mountains are a poor place to grow just about anything

c) the crops that *can* be raised for biofuels don't grow well on mountains

d) the plains, where such crops are best grown, have much lower species diversity, so growing them there has lower ecological impact.

e) if the area is uninhabited, what local people will benefit?

[D H]

Except that:

a) trees cannot be made into biofuel

Research apparently is ongoing in this arena. See, for example this, this, and this.

 

b) mountains are a poor place to grow just about anything

.. or harvest anything (think erosion). Then again, tropical mountains are a great place to grow things (think cloud forests). The problem here is that they also have the greatest biodiversity on the planet.

 

c) the crops that *can* be raised for biofuels don't grow well on mountains

The crops that can be raised *now* for biofuels don't grow well on mountains, that is. See the response to point (a). So, what is more important: The incredible biodiversity of the cloud forests, or our incessant need for energy at any cost?

 

d) the plains, where such crops are best grown, have much lower species diversity, so growing them there has lower ecological impact.

The problem here is that the plains are the best place for the food we eat grows.

 

 

If we are going to use land as a substrate for gathering energy, we need to look at places that have very little biodiversity and that aren't used for growing food. For example, covering deserts with solar cells.