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Originally Posted by absence_of_color
....Just not corn anymore either, scientists have designed a way to turn almost any organic matter - switchgrass, trees, ect., even animal and forest byproducts into fuel. A shortage of those common products is highly unlikely. How great is that?
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Fermenting these substances yields METHANOL, not ethanol. It is chemically different, poisonous, and much more corrosive. Its energy content is less than half that of gasoline. Also is less efficient to produce because of its much higher cellulose content--compared to corn, wheat, milo, and other grains. It might have potential (like in Brazil) but causes problems with engines not specifically designed and built to use methanol. Would be nice, though, to turn Kudzu and weeds into fuel.
Lindy
I had an uncle in Kansas who built his own still and ran farm equipment on a mixture of alcohol and deisel. This was 25 years ago, and he eventually decided that it was much more trouble than it was worth.