my new hero

[kandrathe]

Hey check your basic chemistry course.  There is too much CO2.  The atmosphere is out of equilibrium.  The added CO2 traps more heat, raising the global temperature, thus global warming.  ;)
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I think the most exciting use of ethanol is for Hydrogen Fuel Cells. The problem with current CO2 emissions is that the CO2 was trapped in the oil or NG, and is released into the atmosphere with no ability for the earth to reabsorb the gas. The CO2 produced by Ethanol is no more than the CO2 consumed by the original plant crop, making the CO2 recyclable.

Also, consideration must be given to the entire energy/chemical cycle of tilling, fertilizing, planting, cultivating and harvesting the plant material used to produce the fuel. Of course that can be extremely variable depending on which plants are used and the techniques used by the farmer. People tend to forget the maintenance and original energy investment (e.g. a solar panel, or a wind tubine) when calculating energy return on investment.

We should figure out a way to make fuel from Eurasian water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), which has invaded our midwestern lakes and due to the abundance of excess nutrients in lakes the plant needs continous harvesting. Another interesting technology I've been watching is using microbial fuel cells to generate power while cleaning waste water.