The use of biofuels as car fodder is nothing new. Ethanol and biodiesel, produced by fermenting starch crops, are the most familiar biofuel. In fact, Henry Ford’s Model T was originally designed to run on ethanol. Rudolf Diesel built his first engine to run on peanut oil. Vegetable oils were very common as transportation fuels in the early 1900s, before they were phased out by cheap petroleum. These days, we’re actually recycling the idea of using oil-seed crops such as soybeans and canola as a fuel source.
This does not mean that BioCar drivers will fill their tanks with the contents of a typical salad bar any time soon. Many Americans have tuned out biofuels altogether because of the poor policy planning that has governed their recent growth and use. However, even if something has been bungled before, it can be re-tooled into something beneficial and efficient the second time around. With better management, alternative ag-based resources could provide a much-needed substitute for petroleum-based fuels.
Along with policy and environmental criticisms, traditional corn-based ethanol has come under fire for its low energy yield. In 2001, a study by a Cornell University agricultural scientist concluded that producing ethanol from corn uses more energy than it produces.
Although other sources contest these results, reliance on a single crop, like corn, to produce biofuels is clearly a ticking time-bomb. Monocultures deplete soils and water supplies. One crop’s diversion from the food supply drives up food prices as a trip to the supermarket will attest. A lack of substitutes leaves room for volatility and disaster, should any commodity supply be threatened, as we learned from this past spring’s floods.
In the search for alternatives to traditional ethanol feedstocks, some have even speculated that improved quality biofuel may come from the orchard, rather than the field. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers have found that fructose, which can be directly obtained from fruits and other plants, can be converted into dimethylfuran, which can store 40% more energy than ethanol and does not evaporate as easily. Scientists are still working to determine the environmental impacts of this new fuel. Broccoli also shows potential for such a new use – aside from the dreaded green vegetable on kids’ dinner plates. The Brassicas family, which includes broccoli, kale and rapeseed, is being studied at the University of Warwick as a potential biofuel feedstock. Although efficiency rates are less than outstanding, researchers are working to modify the oil harvested to increase energy yields.
In an effort to avoid the food-feed-fuel conflict altogether, additional agricultural and forest residues are now being researched for their viability. Corn stover, for example, shows potential as a source of cellulosic ethanol, saving the actual kernel for feeding people and livestock, and sating the car’s appetite with what was previously considered a waste product. The Department of Energy predicts that, with the proper planning and R&D, commercial corn stover biorefineries could begin operation as early as 2010. Wheat straw, wood chips, and forest residues are also potential options, although experts warn that some amount of organic matter should be left on soils to provide nutrients, aid in irrigation, and help prevent erosion.
But experimenting with any one of these agricultural-based products does not mean we shouldn’t keep researching and experimenting with others. In fact, diversification is key in our situation, and nothing should be ruled out as a candidate for alternative fuel sources. Even wastes from both plants, and animals, in spite of the gross-out factor, are a piece of the puzzle. The bottom line is, we should not eliminate any of the smorgasbord of possible fuel sources to feed the BioCar of the future.
Abby Schwimmer can be reached by email at abby@biobasednews.com