July 2002 by the United States Department of Agriculture analyzes many of the previous studies on the energy balance of producing ethanol. The conclusion by the study's authors is that there is 34% more energy in a gallon of ethanol than it takes to produce it.
The conclusion by the study's authors is that there is 34% more energy in a gallon of ethanol than it takes to produce it.
OK, but then your going to break the hydrogen out of the ethanol, using some amount of energy, and a catalyst (if I understand the process correctly). Does the energy balance still come out positive? (I'm just asking, I don't know.)
42 posted on 02/13/2004 8:50:00 AM PST by The_Victor