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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Grain Ethanol - Why Consider Food For Fuel?, Richard K. Perrin
Grain Ethanol - Why Consider Food For Fuel?, Richard K. Perrin
Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications
Current U.S. energy policy encourages additional ethanol production through a combination of subsidies and mandates. Grain ethanol production converts a potential food into fuel. Concerns have been expressed that this drives up the price of food, and could contributed to world hunger problems. Other objections to grain ethanol have been raised: it might not reduce greenhouse gases much if at all; intensified cropping could deteriorate environmental resources, and it might increase smog in cities. Why, then, do proponents favor increased grain ethanol production? It is possible that it will educe greenhouse gas emissions; it can reduce petroleum imports, it can …
Net Energy Of Cellulosic Ethanol From Switchgrass, Marty R. Schmer, Kenneth P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell, Richard K. Perrin
Net Energy Of Cellulosic Ethanol From Switchgrass, Marty R. Schmer, Kenneth P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell, Richard K. Perrin
Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications
Perennial herbaceous plants such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) are being evaluated as cellulosic bioenergy crops. Two major concerns have been the net energy efficiency and economic feasibility of switchgrass and similar crops. All previous energy analyses have been based on data from research plots (<5m2) and estimated inputs. We managed switchgrass as a biomass energy crop in field trials of 3–9 ha (1 ha=10,000m2) on marginal cropland on 10 farms across a wide precipitation and temperature gradient in the midcontinental U.S. to determine net energy and economic costs based on known farm inputs …