Quote:
Originally Posted by copacabana
Sailingdog, I think perhaps you should get your facts straight. Please tell me where in South America they are cutting forest to plant corn? Also, they don’t use corn to make ethanol in South America, they use sugarcane, which is much more efficient. Corn is used in the US and is not as efficient, which is why the US subsidizes ethanol. And obviously I’m not suggesting that one can breath the gases from a tailpipe burning ethanol so don’t put silly words in my mouth. My point was that it burns so clean that it gives off no odour. Have you ever seen smoke from an alcohol fire? What is the residue after alcohol evaporates? Furthermore, while it’s not perfect, it is a step toward freedom from oil. It’s not for every country, but it really works for Brazil. Every country will have to find its own solution for its energy needs as we wean ourselves off oil. Finally, I said it was carbon neutral. By this I mean that the carbon given off when alcohol is burned is ‘neutralized’ by the carbon that the sugarcane removes from the air. You’re not adding more carbon the atmosphere like you are when you burn oil. Whether this carbon has an effect on global warming is another issue altogether 
I still can’t believe that alcohol is harsher than gasoline for a fiberglass tank. I’m not an expert, but I’d have to see PROOF to believe that alcohol can harm fiberglass. Gasoline can strip paint and dissolve other petroleum products (which resin is as well, by the way). Anyhow, it’s not my area of expertise so I’m open to contrary views, backed up with facts. |
Which is the stronger solvent, water or gasoline? Ask a block of salt or a solid iron bar. So, comparisons of the sort you make are silly at best. They are off the point.
Try growing sugar cane in the US and let us know how it goes. Our farmers are smart - corn gives the best cellulose yield per acre.
How are the rain forests holding up? I think they are fading far more quickly than our forests, which is what we hope to avoid. We have made that mistake before, cutting much of the wood in the US. I hope you can realize that risk before you, as a country, make the same terrible mistake we did. Learn from our errors. Learn from the errors of Haiti.
There is a saying in the US: "different horses for different courses." The correct solution in Brazil is not always correct elsewhere. I am sure that US solutions in Brazil would be a poor fit too. I don't mean to imply that using ethanol in Brazil is wrong. I suspect it is the right answer for you, at this time. But that may change too. I don't know. Keep you eyes open.