After dark

with (other) renewable energy lovers whenever the subject of world food prices comes up. They keep wanting to downplay the role of biofuels by harping about the price of oil, natural disasters, tariffs or other restrictions on food movement, etc. And/or they talk about how the (supposed) mass increase in agriculture will ensure food supplies are available and cheap (we can feed the people and the cars).

It's really very simple: the market for biofuels is huge, and even a sizeable increase in (food) production won't bring the supply anywhere near the demand. So the price(s) will continue to reflect that demand for many years to come. Meaning, those who formerly could barely afford to feed their families will not be able to afford to do so anymore.

There are something like a billion people in this world who are unemployed or seriously underemployed. These people are going to either starve or barely subsist on less-than-nourishing food. Aside from a humanitarian nightmare, that is a ticking time-bomb with minutes instead of hours (metaphorically speaking) programmed into it.

This needs to be addressed now, not after the food riots have gripped the entire third world.

biofuels especially so. Sugar based ethanol might just be a better deal. Better to put sugar in our gas tanks than in our 'spare tires'.

Brazil seems to be doing rather well. This article is from 2005 with gas at about $2.00/gal., and they are feeling rather good about their commitment to sugar based ethanol. Imagine how visionary they are feeling now.

Person County Democrats

Towards the end see if you don't recognize somebody in the video.

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.

I've never been good at fundraising. Asking for money is anathema to everything I have been taught. But I am trying to prove a point: that a guy in a trailer park can get people to donate money just as effectively as a corporate bundler.

If you agree with that and have even a dollar to spare, please give it here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/DarrenStaley

Thanks!

Raleigh's a hotbed of terrorist activity.

Some of ya'll live up there, right? Might want to move...

Thomas S. Brock
www.brocknet.net
http://blogs.brocknet.net/bloviations/

What have YOU done today to elect a Democrat?

There are alternatives to food crops as sources for bio renewables:

Biomass Yield

* Algal Biomass Yields versus Phytomass Yields of Tropical Crops (http://biopact.com/2007/01/in-depth-look-at-biofuels-from-algae.html)

These are the yields obtained in stable cultures during an entire year, as reported by the Aquatic Species Program. All other results from that program show either unstable growth or yields obtained over short periods of time (often, during winter months when algae productivity drops significantly, the Aquatic Species Program discontinued the cultures.)

Metric Tons/Hectare/Year

M. minutum (algae), 1989.....35.8
M. minutum (algae), 1989.....30.3
M. minutum (algae), 1990.....38.3
Algae (no species mentioned), 1978.....43.8
Algae (no species mentioned), 1978.....51.1
Sugarcane.....79.2 [Brazilian average, 2005]
Sorghum.....70 [Average for Andhra Pradesh, India, 2005]
Cassava.....65 [Nigeria, 1985]
Oil palm.....50 [Global average, including low yields in Africa; in Malaysia, average yields are 75 MT/ha/yr]
Arundo Donax.....50 [Grown in sub-tropics, Handbook of Energy Crops]

[edit]
Oil Yield

* Cultivating Algae for Liquid Fuel Production (http://oakhavenpc.org/cultivating_algae.htm)

Gallons of Oil per Acre per Year
Corn . . . . . . . 15
Soybeans . . . .48
Safflower. . . . . 83
Sunflower . . . 102
Rapeseed. . . 127
Oil Palm . . . . 635
Micro Algae . .1850 [based on actual biomass yields]
Micro Algae . .5000-15000 [theoretical laboratory yield]

[edit]

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Biodiesel_from_Algae_Oil#Biomass_...

http://snipurl.com/30op7

Still in the development stage, but could have a big impact.