The "blending" of corn with gas is an example of how the government routinely makes policies that are bad for everybody except some politically influential special interest. In this case, corn farmers in Iowa who have excessive political influence because Iowa is always the first state to vote for presidential nominees.
This is yet another reason why we need to get special interest money out of politics and why all presidential primaries should be held on the same day. If Iowa wasn't the first state in the presidential nomination process (and thus able to make or break presidential campaigns), no presidential candidate would need to pander to their corn farmer lobby.
It isn't 'corn' - it's ethyl alcohol. It's C2H6O no matter how it was produced. All fossil fuels come from organic matter. You're making it sound silly by calling it corn but not actually making any useful point.
- "There is scope for substitution. About 10% of all grains are used to make biofuel; and 18% of vegetable oils go to biodiesel. Finland and Croatia have weakened mandates that require petrol to include fuel from crops. Others should follow their lead."
Worse. It loses energy or is energy break even between fertilizing, spraying, reaping, transporting, processing, & transporting again. However it does line some farm state pockets.
“Only 1 percent of all corn grown in this country is eaten by humans. The rest is No. 2 yellow field corn, which is indigestible to humans and used in animal feed, food supplements and ethanol.“
This is such a naive take. Most corn is used as feedstock. This is hugely important to production of animal protein, which humans eat.
Just because we don't eat the corn directly, doesn't mean we aren't eating the corn.
This would be like saying "only 1% of water is actually consumed by humans, so we don't need to worry about water shortages". The world just isn't that simple.
this is a naive take. All corn is edible, though usually processed like it has been since corn was maize - ground or nixtamalized. And that’s how yellow corn is also used, to make tortilla chips and taco shells. You just aren’t going to grill it and eat it off the cob.
Saying it isn’t edible is like saying cassava isn’t edible.
It also doesn’t “keep” as well (which is why you should burn non-oxy premium in small engines if you can’t get normal non oxy; or fully drain/run dry your lawn mower at the end of the season).
Reading my Suzuki Owner’s Manual it says no more than 10% ethanol, but also under no circumstances more than 5% methanol (wood alcohol). It’s getting so you need a gasoline “nutrition” label to keep your 2-wheel fun machine running well.
Readit News
This is yet another reason why we need to get special interest money out of politics and why all presidential primaries should be held on the same day. If Iowa wasn't the first state in the presidential nomination process (and thus able to make or break presidential campaigns), no presidential candidate would need to pander to their corn farmer lobby.
It isn't 'corn' - it's ethyl alcohol. It's C2H6O no matter how it was produced. All fossil fuels come from organic matter. You're making it sound silly by calling it corn but not actually making any useful point.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31438659 ("The Coming Food Catastrophe (economist.com)", 597 comments)
- "There is scope for substitution. About 10% of all grains are used to make biofuel; and 18% of vegetable oils go to biodiesel. Finland and Croatia have weakened mandates that require petrol to include fuel from crops. Others should follow their lead."
https://www.pure-gas.org/
Everyone agrees it raises food prices.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30343170
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I know life's not so simple, but annoys me to hear this along side news blurbs about "massive food shortages coming!".
https://www.wired.com/2011/06/five-ethanol-myths-busted-2/
Just because we don't eat the corn directly, doesn't mean we aren't eating the corn.
This would be like saying "only 1% of water is actually consumed by humans, so we don't need to worry about water shortages". The world just isn't that simple.
Saying it isn’t edible is like saying cassava isn’t edible.
https://www.livescience.com/why-humans-cannot-digest-corn.ht...
But yes, No. 2 yellow field corn is a food for humans - just not in its rawest form.
> I know life's not so simple, but annoys me to hear this along side news blurbs about "massive food shortages coming!".
Honestly, that's probably part of the process of shifting production. Coordinating lots of people is hard.
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