View Single Post
Old 10-02-2008, 02:48 PM   #21 (permalink)
IndyIan
EcoModding Newbie
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Southern Ontario
Posts: 284

Parachute - '03 Chevrolet Tracker LX
90 day: 28.55 mpg (US)

Peon - '95 Plymouth Neon Highline baby!
90 day: 31.39 mpg (US)

Slocus Wagon - '06 Ford Focus SE
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
My main worry about bio fuels is that the micro nutrient cycle is being ignored. Copper, Iron, Selenium, etc are elements that are necessary for healthy plants and animals.
Eventually someone will figure out a way to convert cellulose to some sort of fuel and then any plant is fair game. If you mow things down for long enough and cart it all away eventually nothing will grow and we'll have bigger problems than figuring out how to drive around.

Corn is terrible for this and chemical fertillizers can mask the problem for a while but eventually the soil will be depleted.

Maybe the production of alcohol is so pure that it contains only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen? Then the rest of the elements are salvagable and can be used for fertilizer again? I don't hear much about this but every farmer knows a field or two where someone grew corn for too many years and basically made it useless even with the standard fertillizers
Ian.

__________________


  Reply With Quote