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Are there any biofuels that don't require more hydrocarbons to produce than they replace? My impression was that because we couldn't industrially digest cellulo
by afarrell 11y ago
Are there any biofuels that don't require more hydrocarbons to produce than they replace? My impression was that because we couldn't industrially digest cellulose and because we rely on fertilizer from the heat-intensive Haber-Bosch process to grow most staple crops, that producing ethanol for cars caused a net-increase in carbon emissions. Am I mistaken?
- dnautics 11y agoI have insider info that BP developed a yeast strain that was gangbusters at digesting cellulosic feedstock into glucose, but the program got killed when they shut down their san diego operations earlier this year.
- afarrell 11y agoDid they patent any of the work?
- mikeyouse 11y agoDefinitely depends on the feedstock, the energy source, and the scale of the facility. That being said, the technology does exist to produce net positive EROEI hydrocarbons today.. They aren't remotely cost competitive with $40/bbl oil but they do exist.