When you look at all the benefits of switch grass, it's hard to believe that it isn't being touted more heavily. Switch grass could not only replace some fossil fuels use, it could help alleviate the damage done by years of burning fossil fuels as well.
Switch grass might be thought of as a weed by some, which probably explains its lowly status. But switch grass was elevated to a new, lofty place when President Bush brought it up in his 2006 State of the Union address.
Switch grass has many worthwhile and useful qualities. Chief among them is how easy it is to grow.
Switch grass grows abundantly in the Great Plains and is native to large parts of North America. Picture yourself driving through the Midwest, when you gaze out the window you're looking at lots of switch grass.
cattle, horses, sheep and goats all love to munch of switch grass.
Unlike most plants, switch grass is not picky about soil and conditions. It's incredibly easy to grow even in clay or sand, flood or drought. A gardener's dream plant. Remember, it "grows like a weed."
Switch grass could be a new bumper crop for American farmers, who are being financially squeezed from a million directions.
Not only that, but switch grass can be used to purify water. It's roots can take pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer out of water before it reaches the main waterways. this trait alone makes it useful.
Now as if all that weren't enough, the humble switch grass plant can even help in our efforts to clean the air. Switch grass cleans the air because it absorbs carbon dioxide, that nasty green house gas.
Many places are already experimenting with switch grass as a source for energy, either as pellets for burning or converting it to ethanol.
Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman has already brought up switch grass as a cure for international tensions over competition for fossil fuels. Noting our growing competition for fuel with China before the Counsel on Foreign Relations, Lieberman suggested lots of agricultural products like switch grass, corn and sugar can be used to create new sources of fuel to power our cars and keep our houses warm.
In a world of dependence on fossil fuels and rising gas prices, it is critical to find new sources of alternative energy. In this case, we may have to look no farther than America's "amber waves of grain."
Ethanol is a type of alcohol that has been converted to allow it to become a source of fuel for vehicles. In development for many years, ethanol is probably the most famous alternative fuel in the world today. Since it is made most of the time with corn, ethanol is also known as grain alcohol. The ethanol we get from corn is a result of converting the starch in corn into sugars and then into alcohol in a process of fermenting. The use of ethanol as an alternative fuel is a great way to help the environment as well as the farmers.
During the energy crisis of the 70s and 80s, there was a product referred to as "Gasohol" that was about 10% ethanol or E10. Gasoline engines needed minor modifications to run on E10 because the ethanol tended to degrade seals and fuel hoses. Modern gasoline engines are now set up to run E10. In Iowa, about 60% of the gasoline sold is E10. It is actually the least expensive gasoline grade because the ethanol is subsidized to make it so.
There is an alternative fuel ethanol product currently on the market called E85. E85 consists of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent alcohol. Many automobiles today can operate using E85 fuel and although it is not completely safe for the enviroment, E85 is still a very viable alternative fuel. To use higher percentages like E85, engines need appropriate seals, hoses and engine settings like timing, etc.. Vehicles set up to run E85 have been selling for a number of years and are sold as "Flex Fuel" vehicles (FFV). Such vehicles have a fuel sensor in the fuel line to monitor the mix of gasoline and ethanol present and adjust the engine appropriately for the fuel being used.
Compared with gasoline-fueled vehicles, most ethanol-fueled vehicles produce lower carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions and the same or lower levels of hydrocarbon and non-methane hydrocarbon emissions. Oxides of nitrogen emissions are about the same for ethanol and gasoline vehicles. E85 has fewer highly volatile components than gasoline and so has fewer evaporative emissions.
Brazil is the largest producer of ethanol in the world today. The ethanol Brazil produces is made from sugar cane. In California, projects are now operating to convert some of the agricultural waste such as rice straw into ethanol. Rice straw is currently burned in the fields. It is estimated that as much as a third of the waste from our fields could be made into ethanol without harming the soil. Using ethanol as an alternative fuel has come a very long way from the preliminary stages into reality.
It is believed that it takes more energy to make ethanol than what it gives back and for the most part, this is true. However, new technologies have been developed to increase the efficiency of the ethanol production process. Corn ethanol today is made by converting the starch in corn to sugars and then into alcohol in a process of fermenting. A company in Canada has invented a process for converting agricultural waste such as corn stalks, husks, and other cellulose rich plant waste like straw into ethanol by using enzymes. This process may raise the energy balance of ethanol to as high as 1:7, although there are no details related to a study of the effectiveness of this process. If waste agricultural products are used, then the energy for planting and harvesting have already been taken into account, allowing ethanol from waste to have avery favorable energy balance.
As an alternative fuel, ethanol is only a part of the trend toward using alternative fuels. Many other alternative fuels are being developed. The reality is that ethanol is the most promising of the all. Over the next few years, ethanol will be developed by leaps and bounds. Ethanol may very well be THE alternative fuel to use in the future.
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Dave Larsen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gas Prices, Architecture and Gas Prices. Dave Larsen has worked for twenty-five plus years in the alternative energy business. Originally trained as an auto mechanic, Dave quit that profession because he got tired of shop owners ordering him to rip customers off. Dave now offers tips so people c. Dave Larsen's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.
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