Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The production of fuel ethanol from corn in the United States is controversial for a few reasons. Production of ethanol from corn is 5 to 6 times less efficient than producing it from sugarcane. The reason that corn has been notoriously used for ethanol production is because farmers are either paid to destroy crops or to not grow corn crops.
Recent developments with cellulosic ethanol production may improve yields even further. [12] In 2006 a study from the University of Minnesota found that corn-grain ethanol produced 1.25 units of energy per unit put in. [13] A 2008 study by the University of Nebraska found a 5.4 energy balance for ethanol derived specifically from switchgrass.
The total amount of energy input into the process compared to the energy released by burning the resulting ethanol fuel is known as the energy balance (or "energy returned on energy invested"). Figures compiled in a 2007 report by National Geographic [ 68 ] point to modest results for corn ethanol produced in the US: one unit of fossil-fuel ...
The main source of renewable energy in 2019 was biomass (57.4% of gross energy consumption). [2] In particular, wood is the leading source of renewable energy in Europe, far ahead of solar and wind. [3] In 2020, renewables provided 23.1% of gross energy consumption in heating and cooling.
Biodiesel is produced from the oils in for instance rapeseed or sugar beets and is the most common biofuel in Europe. [ citation needed ] Second-generation biofuels (also called "advanced biofuels") utilize non-food -based biomass sources such as perennial energy crops and agricultural residues/waste.
Bioheating plant in Skellefteå. Energy use by source in Sweden 1970–2012. Biofuels are renewable fuels [1] that are produced by living organisms (biomass [1]). Biofuels [2] can be solid, gaseous or liquid, which comes in two forms: ethanol and biodiesel and often replace fossil fuels.
The production of biofuels can be very energy intensive, which, if generated from non-renewable sources, can heavily mitigate the benefits gained through biofuel use. A solution proposed to solve this issue is to supply biofuel production facilities with excess nuclear energy, which can supplement the power provided by fossil fuels. [ 111 ]
Corn is a very energy-intensive crop, which requires one unit of fossil-fuel energy to create just 0.9 to 1.3 energy units of ethanol. [ citation needed ] A senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee , Congressman Fred Upton introduced legislation to use at least E10 fuel by 2012 in all cars in the United States.