Interesting snippet in Discover magazine. It has been what I also thought for awhile Why not just burn biomass instead of trying to convert it to fuel??? <i>Searchinger says that the biomass currently tapped for biofuels would be put to better use making electricity. âThe process of converting biomass into liquid fuel uses half of the energy in the feedstock. Itâs far more efficient to burn the biomass for electricity and then use the electricity in cars.â That is in part because you waste less making the electricity and also because electric engines convert as much as 75 percent of available energy into forward motion, compared with the 20 percent energy conversion rate of gasoline engines.</i>
1) Biomass is still a renewable source. 2) Biofuel also produces CO2 and other pollutants. It is no better than burning it. 3) Burning it is much more efficient (half of biofuel's energy content is used up in getting from corn to energy) and biofuel uses agricultural products (like corn), so we are using up prime growing land for minor value add. 4) Trying to get something like wood (cellulose) into affordable biofuel is beyond our current abilities. burning it makes a lot more sense. Got it?
This is far more important than it seems.... Furthermore....the technology exists now....and can be handily refined.... This is very important in terms of making electric the way to go.... Good points.... ............................................................... There are fast growing woody plants that could grow on land not used for food....and the plants could be small or large.... ................................................................ This opens a completely different doorway to renewable fuels.... This story here will be the fastest growing biomass yield per acre..... .............................................................. What quickly comes to mind is sugarcane.... Plants already produce sugar based ethanol....and already burn biomass for electricity.... ........................................................... Woody stem temperate....tropical...etc....could be examined in a different way.... ........................................................... Very interesting.....
Uhm... Your still burning the end product. You don't spontaneously remove all air pollutants in the refinery. + you have to deal with all the other waste byproducts. + An electric plant can have controls of the scrubbing and removal of most harmful elements. + Inefficiency = pollution.