Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
Hi Harry Thanks for those references Keith, they will be very useful. You're most welcome, I'm glad you can use them. produce enough food to go around. Until I observe a change in the way wealth, and food, are distributed I must insist that we do all we can to increase the total production of food and services to humans. When so many Well, you see, the last time this came up, quite recently (it comes up every so often), I caused a furore by saying that hungry people don't starve because of a shortage of food but because of an inequitable economic system. It's all in the message archives, quite interesting. So this time I thought I'd refrain. :-) Of course I agree with you, but I think increasing production has got a bad record. Too often it's tended to increase the rich-poor gap, exclude the poor even further, and cause yet more environmental degradation. The Green Revolution is a classic case, though far from the only one. It helped all the wrong people. It might make more sense instead to remove some of the constraints on production at the small farms level. These programs always purport to be helping small farmers, yet they invariably have a minimum size cut-off point, confining the assistance to big farmers. Trickle-down will do the rest, we're told. Removing such constraints often means confronting the inequities which hold these people down and which are the real cause of their parlous situation, not any lack of productive capability. There are plenty of success stories along these lines, but you don't hear of them much. I am in an unstable phase in regards to my position on Ecological Sustainability and population. That sounds healthy! It's no place for comfortable certitudes. If we are in fact in denial and consequentially get it wrong we and the rest of biodiversity may only survive in pockets, despite what WE do the poor may destroy the biosphere in THEIR attempt to survive. Even the references you gave in regards to food production (and they are amongst the best) leave an after taste of closure, of hope rather than reason. I think they're quite positive, really. They're activists and campaigners, quite effective. They don't see it as hopeless. Nor do I. The food import figures you quote may indicate the capacity of the populations concerned to pay for imports including food and I'm sure that you are aware of this aspect, indeed that is my real concern. If we were right why did we go to such convolutions to justify our position. Various prime growing areas in Third World countries, together totalling an area five times the size of Holland, are devoted to growing cattle feed for Dutch cattle, at preferential rates. They should be growing food for their own people, or at least commodities they got a fair price for or could add their own value to. The Dutch turn it into various surpluses - beef mountains, dairy lakes. And use a lot of their own land to grow tulips, which they get a good price for. And of course their farmers are subsidized. I'm not picking on the Dutch. It's not an isolated case, just the one that springs to mind. Doesn't have much to do with feeding people, does it? Market forces inevitably move money, commodities, goods, resources, towards those with surplus resources, away from those with inadequate resources. The winds of free trade favour the ships with the big sails. A truly free market would require a lot of regulation and intervention, rather than less and less, the recipe currently promoted with increasing success by the free marketeers (read corporate interests). We are rewarded for our silence and inaction via enhanced opportunities for conspicuous consumption. Growing numbers are rejecting this with increasing vehemence. One could argue that the world never was sustainable simply because starvation related disease always existed. As it stands the fat or greedy fail to leave enough to feed the poor and that means that the world does NOT produce enough food to go around. It does, but for the fat and greedy. So which is the better solution, to produce more food or rein in the fat and greedy? Greed knows no limits, is never satisfied. There have been many traditional societies and traditional systems which proved sustainable, some still are. Until I observe a change in the way wealth, and food, are distributed I must insist that we do all we can to increase the total production of food and services to humans. When so many depend on the scraps from a rich man's table the apparent solution is more food for the rich resulting in more scraps for the poor. But it doesn't work that way. The position of the poor doesn't improve via some sort of upward suction effect, it gets worse. The gap widens. We are attempting to reduce our waste and effective consumption by recycling, while we are at it we reduce our environmental impact. These are good things. We should, though, take care that cleaner production at the farm level
Re: [biofuel] more on Jerusalem artichokes
Marc, Contacted the curator and heard back the next day. Then asked for info and trial seed mentioning that it was for the Phillipines but have not heard back yet. Perhaps info is in transit. Have just sent them another e-mail this morning to find out where things are at. B.r., David - Original Message - From: F. Marc de Piolenc [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Biofuel List biofuel@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, May 28, 2001 10:04 PM Subject: [biofuel] more on Jerusalem artichokes Subject: Re: More on Jerusalem artichokes Steve Spence wrote: my father in law just plowed under 2 acres of Jerusalem artichokes. they keep coming up and he can't get rid of them :-( The books do say that volunteer plants are a problem with all the sunflower family. Wish he could send the tubers over here - I can't find any starter stock! Marc de Piolenc Iligan, Philippines Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
Oh, yes, the best way to spread the crop of Jerusalem artichokes is to roto-till them -- every little piece starts a new plant. Probably the best way to get rid of them w/o major herbicide is to put hogs in there. Similar conversation on two other lists, about kudzu. Kudzu should be a good energy crop, sure is good for lots of other things, but I can't find any refs. Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ steve spence wrote: my father in law just plowed under 2 acres of Jerusalem artichokes. they keep coming up and he can't get rid of them :-( Steve Spence Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
Keith Addison wrote: According to the Alcohol Yield tables in the Mother Earth Alcohol Fuel Manual, Jerusalem artichokes yield 20 gallons of 99.5% ethanol per ton, and 1,200 gallons per acre. Yield per acre is calculated on three harvests of heads per year. Are you sure they're making it from the heads? I'd think it more likely the tubers, which have a large yield and are quite starchy. The heads are pretty small. And the site does give tuber yield, not upper plant yield, unless I'm missing something. Yes, I'm sure it's tubers not heads. The site gives tuber yield, yes, but it says Estimate for three harvests of heads per year. I guess what it means is three harvests a year, never mind the heads. Incidentally, the tubers have a lot of carbohydrates, but it's not starch. Big advantage for brewing ethanol, just ferment, no need to convert first. Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ -- Harmon Seaver, MLIS CyberShamanix Work 920-203-9633 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home 920-233-5820 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
My impression on viewing the yield per acre of fuel from Jerusalem artichokes is who needs horses? I only feed a tractor when I use it. A draft horse eats more hay than 3 cows and thats all winter. Tractor just sits there. No fuel needed till doing useful work. And much work people do with tractors is not needed. Tests have shown that. Same with chemical fertilizer. But gvt. farm agent pushes chemical farming. I wonder why.:) Kirk -Original Message- From: Gary and Jos Kimlin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 2:49 AM To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes The bugs in the stomachs of ruminants and termites digest cellulose (waste paper and stubble) to sugars that can be fermented. The reason draft horses are inefficient is that they require too much land to grow their fuel (food), even for on farm energy existing waste products need to be used. Any attempt to grow fuel for general use would require a massive increase in crop yields at a time when we are unlikely to be able to grow enough food to feed everyone without affecting other species. To go green in developed countries at the expense of food production may well result in effective genocide in other, less developed countries, even our own poor would not be exempt. Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.252 / Virus Database: 125 - Release Date: 5/9/2001 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.252 / Virus Database: 125 - Release Date: 5/9/2001 Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
Or eat them. They store food value as inulin not starch. I am told diabetics can eat them without the normal insulin reaction one gets from starch. An alternative to spuds. Kirk -Original Message- From: Harmon Seaver [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 8:32 AM To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes Oh, yes, the best way to spread the crop of Jerusalem artichokes is to roto-till them -- every little piece starts a new plant. Probably the best way to get rid of them w/o major herbicide is to put hogs in there. steve spence wrote: my father in law just plowed under 2 acres of Jerusalem artichokes. they keep coming up and he can't get rid of them :-( Steve Spence Subscribe to the Renewable Energy Newsletter: http://www.webconx.com/subscribe.htm Renewable Energy Pages - http://www.webconx.com Palm Pilot Pages - http://www.webconx.com/palm X10 Home Automation - http://www.webconx.com/x10 [EMAIL PROTECTED] (212) 894-3704 x3154 - voicemail/fax We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. -- - Original Message - From: Gary and Jos Kimlin [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 4:49 AM Subject: Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes The bugs in the stomachs of ruminants and termites digest cellulose (waste paper and stubble) to sugars that can be fermented. The reason draft horses are inefficient is that they require too much land to grow their fuel (food), even for on farm energy existing waste products need to be used. Any attempt to grow fuel for general use would require a massive increase in crop yields at a time when we are unlikely to be able to grow enough food to feed everyone without affecting other species. To go green in developed countries at the expense of food production may well result in effective genocide in other, less developed countries, even our own poor would not be exempt. Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ -- Harmon Seaver, MLIS CyberShamanix Work 920-203-9633 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home 920-233-5820 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.252 / Virus Database: 125 - Release Date: 5/9/2001 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.252 / Virus Database: 125 - Release Date: 5/9/2001 Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
RE: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
My impression on viewing the yield per acre of fuel from Jerusalem artichokes is who needs horses? I only feed a tractor when I use it. A draft horse eats more hay than 3 cows and thats all winter. Tractor just sits there. No fuel needed till doing useful work. And much work people do with tractors is not needed. Tests have shown that. Same with chemical fertilizer. But gvt. farm agent pushes chemical farming. I wonder why.:) Kirk All too true Kirk. Pity tractors don't shit though. Draft horses should work in the winter like everyone else, unless you really get snowed up. The grazing systems I mentioned can go through the winter in most climates short of far north, and you're not paying to feed the horse, the feed isn't an extra cost, it's much more than covered by the 12 or so of high-grade humus you're going to plough in when you prepare the pasture (temporary ley) for the next crop - enough for five years. Something else the agent doesn't shout a lot about. When they're grazing they're working. Even if they stay in the barn all winter, I'd put a high value on the manure. If you work biofuels crops into such a system it makes a real mess out of those much-mooted energy-balance studies. As far as energy-in is concerned, it's mostly free - no fossil fuels, or very little, no fossil-based fertilisers and pesticides, and if you rig it right it's all by-product stuff anyway: the grass is the important crop. Actually my idea of a grazing animal isn't a horse, it's water buffalo. They can produce good growth and very high-quality milk on a diet that a Friesian would starve to death on. Strong beasts. Oxen are under-rated. And I think mules are better than horses, aren't they, though I have no experience of them. Best Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
Hi Harmon, I am not sure what do you mean by ultra prolific crops - but if you meant abundant energy resource here is one of the answers: straw - used for combustion in furnaces and boilers I do not know exactly where the idea of using it was first born, but certainly Denmark is a good example of its utilization. I have seen small boilers manually fed with straw bales or mechanically with chopped straw of ordinary cereals (whey, barley etc), also bigger ones to produce steam that goes into turbines to produce electricity. They divide straw into two categories: ordinary: (just after harvesting) having LHV (Lower Calorific Value) of about 14.5 GJ/metric tonne and yellow (which was taken from the field after few months and dried a little) - LHV of 15 to 15.5 GJ/metric tonne this compared to coal is not as good (average coal burnt in stoves has LHV of 22 to 24 GJ/tonne and 10 to 15% ash and at least 0.6 to 0.8 % sulphur content) but it is not bad as well. Ash content of straw is 4% and makes good fertilizer and straw does not contain sulphur which contributes to the acid rain. There are in principle two methods of burning the straw: a) as chopped - the whole bales are fed onto the chopper prior the combustion chamber and the chopped straw is blown onto the furnace by fan b) the entire bales are burnt step by step by being pushed into the furnace for example by means of the vibration grate that pushes it 2 to 3 centimetres a stroke. They call it cigar burning This method is rather suitable for larger capacities boilers (not for domestic ones). Few years ago I was trying to burn the whole smaller bales (0.5m*0.4*0.3m) in a coal fired steam boiler (it was fixed grate boiler) with natural draught (no exhaust fan for the flue gases) and the result after three hours: - I was exhausted physically - 4 tons of straw was burnt completely - we barely kept the minimum steam parameters (pressure and temperature) and minimum steam capacity of the boiler. Conclusion: To burn straw you need proper boiler - for which the feed system of the fuel and exhaust fan to control combustion are of critical importance. If you need more information we can start to exchange ideas and data. yours jan surwka [EMAIL PROTECTED] Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
Thanks for those references Keith, they will be very useful. I am in an unstable phase in regards to my position on Ecological Sustainability and population. If we are in fact in denial and consequentially get it wrong we and the rest of biodiversity may only survive in pockets, despite what WE do the poor may destroy the biosphere in THEIR attempt to survive. Even the references you gave in regards to food production (and they are amongst the best) leave an after taste of closure, of hope rather than reason. The food import figures you quote may indicate the capacity of the populations concerned to pay for imports including food and I'm sure that you are aware of this aspect, indeed that is my real concern. If we were right why did we go to such convolutions to justify our position. One could argue that the world never was sustainable simply because starvation related disease always existed. As it stands the fat or greedy fail to leave enough to feed the poor and that means that the world does NOT produce enough food to go around. Until I observe a change in the way wealth, and food, are distributed I must insist that we do all we can to increase the total production of food and services to humans. When so many depend on the scraps from a rich man's table the apparent solution is more food for the rich resulting in more scraps for the poor. We are attempting to reduce our waste and effective consumption by recycling, while we are at it we reduce our environmental impact. These are good things. We should, though, take care that cleaner production at the farm level results in productivity gains per hectare not losses or increased cost. For political purposes we may talk of reducing environmental costs and even put a dollar value on environmental gain, in reality it has no dollar value unless you can collect it and distribute it to the needy. In Australia at least there has been a steady move away from the spirit of the Rio Declaration, so much so that the official definition of Ecological Sustainability lacks any reference to poverty or social equity. Many environmental projects have and are causing economic distress to the growing ranks of Australia's poor. The reaction will not be good, either the community will rebel or the social and economic divide will widen, either way the environment will loose. I hope that the Earth Summit 2002 may be the watershed, certainly some of the concerns expressed by commissioners as they prepare indicate that I am not alone in my misgivings. It may be that the haves are not willing to share. If that is the case, the have-nots can hardly be expected to contribute to an improvement in our quality of life. On this forum we work at the practical end of sustainability and maybe that's our share but sometimes the practical people need to moderate the ideologues. Humans have got it terribly wrong before but imagine a mass extinction of species caused by a resource/human population crisis precipitated by environmental idealists who seemed to think that the poor would gracefully depart. How embarrassing! A quote from Indira Gandhi: We do not wish to impoverish the environment any further, and yet we cannot for a moment forget the grim poverty of large numbers of people. Aren't poverty and need the greatest polluters? How can we speak to those who live in villages and in slums about keeping the oceans and rivers and air clean when their own lives are contaminated at the source? The environment cannot be improved in conditions of poverty. Nor can poverty be eradicated without the use of science and technology. Any assistance with this moral dilemma appreciated. Regards from Harry Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
At 20 gallons per ton and 1200 gallons per acre this equals 60 ton per acre and 20 ton per crop at 3 crops p.a. Certainly sound feasible if you can get 3 crops p.a. Marc in your case I certainly think it is worth investigating further. Here in NZ because of our latitude we certainly would only get 2 crops. B.r., David - Original Message - From: Keith Addison [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 12:30 AM Subject: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes According to the Alcohol Yield tables in the Mother Earth Alcohol Fuel Manual, Jerusalem artichokes yield 20 gallons of 99.5% ethanol per ton, and 1,200 gallons per acre. Yield per acre is calculated on three harvests of heads per year. Comparative yields are 889 gal/acre for sugar in Hawaii, 555 gal/acre for sugar in Louisiana, and 79 gal/acre for wheat (sugar and wheat yields USDA Ag. Stat. 1978). http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/meCh3. html#alcoholyield Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
The bugs in the stomachs of ruminants and termites digest cellulose (waste paper and stubble) to sugars that can be fermented. The reason draft horses are inefficient is that they require too much land to grow their fuel (food), even for on farm energy existing waste products need to be used. Any attempt to grow fuel for general use would require a massive increase in crop yields at a time when we are unlikely to be able to grow enough food to feed everyone without affecting other species. To go green in developed countries at the expense of food production may well result in effective genocide in other, less developed countries, even our own poor would not be exempt. Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
my father in law just plowed under 2 acres of Jerusalem artichokes. they keep coming up and he can't get rid of them :-( Steve Spence Subscribe to the Renewable Energy Newsletter: http://www.webconx.com/subscribe.htm Renewable Energy Pages - http://www.webconx.com Palm Pilot Pages - http://www.webconx.com/palm X10 Home Automation - http://www.webconx.com/x10 [EMAIL PROTECTED] (212) 894-3704 x3154 - voicemail/fax We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. -- - Original Message - From: Gary and Jos Kimlin [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 4:49 AM Subject: Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes The bugs in the stomachs of ruminants and termites digest cellulose (waste paper and stubble) to sugars that can be fermented. The reason draft horses are inefficient is that they require too much land to grow their fuel (food), even for on farm energy existing waste products need to be used. Any attempt to grow fuel for general use would require a massive increase in crop yields at a time when we are unlikely to be able to grow enough food to feed everyone without affecting other species. To go green in developed countries at the expense of food production may well result in effective genocide in other, less developed countries, even our own poor would not be exempt. Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
Gary and Jos Kimlin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The bugs in the stomachs of ruminants and termites digest cellulose (waste paper and stubble) to sugars that can be fermented. There's a lot of work in progress on cellulose to ethanol, but I think it's safe to say that none of it's arrived yet (beyond acid hydrolisis). The following provides a good overview: Ethanol from cellulose Wood-Ethanol Report: Technology Review, Environment Canada 1999 -- good overview of the problem and the current solutions on offer. http://www.pyr.ec.gc.ca/ep/wet/section16.html Fuel From Sawdust -- by Mike Brown (from Acres, USA, 19 June 1983): Conversion of cellulose, such as sawdust, cornstalks, newspaper and other substances, to alcohol -- a fairly uncomplicated and straightforward process. Go to the Biofuels Library. http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library.html Arkenol Inc. is a pioneer in processing cellulose biomas into ethanol: agricultural wastes, straw, leaves, grass clippings, sawdust or old newspapers. The company uses proprietary concentrated acid hydrolysis technology and is in the final development stages for a 48 million litre per year biorefinery in Sacramento, California processing rice straw. http://www.arkenol.com The Iogen Corporation of Canada is the leader in developing and manufacturing ethanol-from-cellulose. The Iogen process is an enzymatic hydrolysis process for converting lignocellulosics to ethanol -- uses steam explosion pretreatment pioneered by the company and Iogen's proprietary enzymes. http://www.iogen.ca/fuels.htm BC International Corporation uses a genetically modified organism to produce ethanol from biomass wastes such as agricultural residues, municipal waste, and forest thinnings. Two-stage dilute acid hydrolysis process for the preparation of the sugar streams and two separate fermentations although both use the same organism. http://www.bcintlcorp.com/ Ethanol Production in Hawaii, a pre-feasibility study who a focus on ethanol from cellulose. Includes comparison of the different processes: simultaneous saccharification and fermentation; concentrated acid hydrolysis, neutralization and fermentation; ammonia disruption, hydrolysis and fermentation; steam disruption, hydrolysis and fermentation; acid disruption and transgenic microorganism fermentation; concentrated acid hydrolysis, acid recycle and fermentation; and acidified acetone extraction, hydrolysis and fermentation. http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/ethanol/ethano94.html Good list of references: http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/ethanol/refs.html Also: Genencore DOE Move Closer to Fuel Ethanol from Biomass Cellulose - See: Biomass Conversion with Enzymes: http://www.newuses.org/EG/EG-23/23genetic.html And here's one that went wrong, and could have gone most horribly wrong: in the archives, see Message #2887 on Alcohol-producing GM bacteria, 2/22/2001, or online report at: http://www.safe2use.com/ca-ipm/01-02-05-report.htm The reason draft horses are inefficient is that they require too much land to grow their fuel (food), even for on farm energy existing waste products need to be used. Waste products must of course be used (but mostly aren't). I don't agree that draft horse/animals are necessarily inefficient, it much depends on the circumstances. In very large areas of the world they're efficient. Up to about 50 years ago in the western countries, and for long before that, they were efficient, or at least they were efficient where the farmers were efficient. There were many good examples (and still are some) of integrated systems using grazing animals (including draft animals) and rotational grass leys that were an essential part of the farming system, and provided the main source of fertility for all the other crops. Such farms are highly productive, much more sustainable than industrialised farming is proving to be, and without all the externalised costs. The industrialised farms' reliance on imported fuels (from off-farm) doesn't seem to be very sustainable - livestock factory farms in the US were being crippled by their heating fuel bills last winter. Many farmers are turning to providing their own biofuels now, and it makes sense. Converting cellulose crop wastes to ethanol is not the only answer. Any attempt to grow fuel for general use would require a massive increase in crop yields at a time when we are unlikely to be able to grow enough food to feed everyone without affecting other species. I don't believe it requires increases in crop yields. With many biofuels practices you remove the energy and are still left with the food. Or feed more often (for livestock), and with ethanol its feed value is enhanced. The world already grows more than enough food to feed everyone. There is no food shortage. About a billion people now don't have enough food to meet basic daily needs, but that's not because there's not enough food. There's more food per capita now
Re: [biofuel] More on Jerusalem artichokes
Keith Addison wrote: According to the Alcohol Yield tables in the Mother Earth Alcohol Fuel Manual, Jerusalem artichokes yield 20 gallons of 99.5% ethanol per ton, and 1,200 gallons per acre. Yield per acre is calculated on three harvests of heads per year. Are you sure they're making it from the heads? I'd think it more likely the tubers, which have a large yield and are quite starchy. The heads are pretty small. And the site does give tuber yield, not upper plant yield, unless I'm missing something. -- Harmon Seaver, MLIS CyberShamanix Work 920-203-9633 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home 920-233-5820 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
