This document discusses the debate around a proposed bill in Wisconsin that would mandate a 10% ethanol blend for all gasoline sold in the state. Proponents argue that ethanol would reduce dependence on foreign oil and stimulate the rural economy. However, critics argue that the environmental and energy impacts of increased corn ethanol production are unclear based on conflicting studies. There are also concerns that higher ethanol blends could increase emissions of pollutants like VOCs and NOx in southeastern Wisconsin nonattainment areas. The document examines the various perspectives on the energy balance, environmental impacts, and economic effects of expanding corn ethanol use in Wisconsin.
This document summarizes an academic paper analyzing ethanol subsidies in Iowa. It discusses how Iowa has a perfect competition economic structure and how farm subsidies are important to Iowa's economy. Ethanol production has expanded significantly due to federal and state subsidies since the 1980s. While ethanol subsidies expired in 2011 without much opposition, the Renewable Fuel Standard mandate continues to guarantee high ethanol demand. The paper examines different perspectives on ethanol subsidies and their environmental impacts from various studies and interviews. While ethanol brings economic benefits to Iowa, it may come at the cost of increased water pollution, soil erosion, and impacts on biodiversity due to expansion of corn monocultures.
Ethanol is a clean-burning, high-octane fuel produced from renewable sources like corn and sugarcane. It can be blended with gasoline up to 10% (E10) or 85% (E85) for flexible fuel vehicles. Ethanol is made through fermentation and produces a positive energy balance. While ethanol benefits energy independence and the economy by creating jobs, there are also problems like higher food prices and environmental impacts that depend on production methods.
The document provides an overview of alternative energy management and the top 5 states for alternative energy use in the US. It discusses various alternative energy sources like biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, and wind. It profiles the top 5 states (Washington, California, Oregon, Texas, New York) and compares their renewable energy goals to EPA standards. It also discusses relevant government energy management programs and incentives available in each top state.
Energy and Environment Policy Whitepaper_publishedDan Schmidt
This document outlines a policy plan to maintain affordable energy and a healthy environment in Indiana. It proposes streamlining the state's energy leadership under the Office of Energy Development to create a new state energy plan. This plan would promote diversifying Indiana's energy mix, commercializing new technologies, and addressing infrastructure needs. It also discusses supporting the environmental department's clean air and water efforts while increasing recreation lands and opportunities. The overall goals are affordable and reliable energy for businesses and families while maintaining a healthy environment.
The document proposes two steps for the US to become a global leader in addressing climate change and reducing pollution:
1. Replace gasoline with corn-based ethanol by requiring all new cars after 2010 to run on E85 and completing the transition for all cars by 2015.
2. Rapidly transition away from coal, oil and gas for industrial and residential energy by building large wind farms and providing incentives for their development, with the goal of reducing fossil fuel usage to less than 5% by 2030.
These changes would dramatically reduce US greenhouse gas emissions and set an example for other countries to follow in tackling the global climate crisis.
Hidden Pitfalls of Increasing U.S. Dependence on Canadian Oil SandsEd Dolan
A slideshow discussing increasing U.S. dependence on imports of oil from Canadian oil sands, with special attention to effects on the environment and national security, and to hidden pitfalls for investors and policy makers
Ethanol has several benefits over conventional gasoline. It produces 36-42% lower carbon dioxide emissions and no toxic fumes. Ethanol is renewable, with Canada able to produce over 41 billion liters annually without impacting other needs. Ethanol demand has increased grain prices and given farmers a stable market for their crops. Countries like Brazil already use significant ethanol blends, while new technologies may allow cellulosic ethanol production from waste plant materials to quadruple in 20 years.
This document summarizes an academic paper analyzing ethanol subsidies in Iowa. It discusses how Iowa has a perfect competition economic structure and how farm subsidies are important to Iowa's economy. Ethanol production has expanded significantly due to federal and state subsidies since the 1980s. While ethanol subsidies expired in 2011 without much opposition, the Renewable Fuel Standard mandate continues to guarantee high ethanol demand. The paper examines different perspectives on ethanol subsidies and their environmental impacts from various studies and interviews. While ethanol brings economic benefits to Iowa, it may come at the cost of increased water pollution, soil erosion, and impacts on biodiversity due to expansion of corn monocultures.
Ethanol is a clean-burning, high-octane fuel produced from renewable sources like corn and sugarcane. It can be blended with gasoline up to 10% (E10) or 85% (E85) for flexible fuel vehicles. Ethanol is made through fermentation and produces a positive energy balance. While ethanol benefits energy independence and the economy by creating jobs, there are also problems like higher food prices and environmental impacts that depend on production methods.
The document provides an overview of alternative energy management and the top 5 states for alternative energy use in the US. It discusses various alternative energy sources like biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, and wind. It profiles the top 5 states (Washington, California, Oregon, Texas, New York) and compares their renewable energy goals to EPA standards. It also discusses relevant government energy management programs and incentives available in each top state.
Energy and Environment Policy Whitepaper_publishedDan Schmidt
This document outlines a policy plan to maintain affordable energy and a healthy environment in Indiana. It proposes streamlining the state's energy leadership under the Office of Energy Development to create a new state energy plan. This plan would promote diversifying Indiana's energy mix, commercializing new technologies, and addressing infrastructure needs. It also discusses supporting the environmental department's clean air and water efforts while increasing recreation lands and opportunities. The overall goals are affordable and reliable energy for businesses and families while maintaining a healthy environment.
The document proposes two steps for the US to become a global leader in addressing climate change and reducing pollution:
1. Replace gasoline with corn-based ethanol by requiring all new cars after 2010 to run on E85 and completing the transition for all cars by 2015.
2. Rapidly transition away from coal, oil and gas for industrial and residential energy by building large wind farms and providing incentives for their development, with the goal of reducing fossil fuel usage to less than 5% by 2030.
These changes would dramatically reduce US greenhouse gas emissions and set an example for other countries to follow in tackling the global climate crisis.
Hidden Pitfalls of Increasing U.S. Dependence on Canadian Oil SandsEd Dolan
A slideshow discussing increasing U.S. dependence on imports of oil from Canadian oil sands, with special attention to effects on the environment and national security, and to hidden pitfalls for investors and policy makers
Ethanol has several benefits over conventional gasoline. It produces 36-42% lower carbon dioxide emissions and no toxic fumes. Ethanol is renewable, with Canada able to produce over 41 billion liters annually without impacting other needs. Ethanol demand has increased grain prices and given farmers a stable market for their crops. Countries like Brazil already use significant ethanol blends, while new technologies may allow cellulosic ethanol production from waste plant materials to quadruple in 20 years.
This document is a portfolio proposal from James Spicer for a transit photography seminar. The portfolio will focus on documenting nighttime transit scenes including people interacting with the urban environment at bus stops, train stations, and shopping areas. It will also feature transit infrastructure like cars, roads, buses, trains and train stations. Additionally, it will include photos of people encountered along routes and at destinations. The portfolio aims to capture point to point transit from Point A to Point B through evening and nighttime photos.
This document is a portfolio proposal from James Spicer for a transit photography seminar. The portfolio will focus on documenting nighttime transit scenes including people interacting with the urban environment at bus stops, train stations, streets and shopping areas. It will also feature transit infrastructure like cars, roads, buses, trains and train stations. Additionally, the portfolio will include photos of people encountered along routes and at destinations.
The document provides an overview of induction motors, including:
1. It describes the basic operating principle of induction motors, which induce a current in the rotor via electromagnetic induction from a rotating magnetic field in the stator, rather than supplying current directly to the rotor like a synchronous motor.
2. It discusses the different types of induction motors, including single phase, three phase, squirrel cage, and slip ring rotor designs.
3. It provides some key formulas for relating supply frequency, pole pairs, synchronous speed, slip speed, and rotor speed in induction motors.
This document discusses several key aspects of military life and relationships. It notes that conflict resolution skills are important for balancing relationships that can be complicated by having more groups and people involved. Military life differs from home life in significant ways. Maintaining mission readiness is a priority, and mental health is an important consideration given that service members make up a small fraction of the overall population. The document provides references on topics like intergroup conflict, military families under stress, marital conflict resources, and research on family suffering related to war experiences.
The document discusses the manufacturing process of tires. It begins with an introduction to tires, their history, and main types. It then describes the 8 main steps of tire manufacturing in detail: 1) mixing materials, 2) extruding the tread, 3) weaving plies, 4) preparing the bead core, 5) building process, 6) vulcanization, 7) trimming, and 8) final inspection. Factors that affect tire lifespan are also reviewed such as rotation, pressure, conditions, and age. The conclusion stresses the importance of tire quality given their role in safety.
Ramo Lawn Services provides various landscaping services including spring and fall clean up, mulching, trimming, edging, new lawn installation, mowing, decorative landscape design, ornamental bushes and flowers, decorative landscaping stone and brick, patios and decks, fences, and garden bridges. They are a family owned business committed to customer satisfaction and providing quality workmanship at competitive prices.
The document describes various water feature installations for commercial and residential clients. It lists over 30 clients, providing their name, location, type of water feature installed (e.g. 3-form panels, tempered glass, acrylic), and key features (e.g. lighting, size, customization). The water features ranged from indoor wall installations to outdoor landscape features, and included waterfalls, fountains, and sculptures. The document promotes the company's expertise in modern waterfall design.
Vi is a terminal-based text editor that does not require a mouse. It was originally created in 1976 and uses different modes for commands, editing text, and ex commands. Vi allows efficient editing through keyboard shortcuts for cursor movement, deleting text, searching, replacing, and more. It can be configured through settings and options to customize indentation, wrapping, backups and other features. The document provides tips for using vi along with examples of basic C code editing in vi.
The document discusses Linux file systems and files. Some key points include:
- In Linux, everything is treated as a file with different attributes like regular files, directories, links, and devices.
- Files have owners, groups, and permissions that control access for owners, groups, and others.
- There is a predefined directory structure with important directories like /etc, /usr, /sbin, and users' home directories under /home.
- Inodes store metadata about files like attributes, ownership, and locations of data blocks on the disk.
- The document discusses the federal budget process in the United States, which involves both the Administration and Congress.
- The Administration, led by the President and agencies like OMB, first submits a budget proposal to Congress. Congress then considers the proposal through its budget committees and decides on spending levels.
- Congress passes individual appropriations bills that provide funding to agencies. These bills must be signed by the President to become law and release funds to the agencies.
Intelligent System for Alzheimer's DiseaseBrain Dynamics
This document describes the development of an intelligent system for early detection of Alzheimer's disease using neuroimaging data. The system was developed using MRI data from over 2000 subjects, including healthy individuals as well as those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Morphometric analysis and computational intelligence techniques like support vector machines, genetic algorithms, and neural networks were used to develop a classification system that could accurately classify subjects as healthy, MCI, or AD based on their neuroimaging data, with over 91% correct classification. The resulting automated system demonstrates potential for early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
1) The document provides instructions on basic Linux operations like using the terminal, the man command to view manuals, and commands like ls, cd, cp, mv, rm, more, and cat.
2) It explains how to use the man command to view manuals for commands, libraries, and files located in /usr/share/man. It also describes man section numbers and options like -a, -k, -f.
3) The last section encourages practicing basic commands like changing directories, listing files, and viewing the contents of /etc and /etc/passwd to become familiar with Linux.
El documento describe el desarrollo de un modelo de envejecimiento normal del cerebro basado en neuroimagen. Los investigadores crearon un modelo estadístico que muestra qué áreas del cerebro se atrofian más rápidamente con la edad, como los lóbulos occipitales y parietales superiores derechos y el cuneus derecho. El estudio también revela diferencias significativas en el volumen cerebral entre sujetos menores y mayores de 60 años.
Online shopping emerged with the development of the internet as entrepreneurs saw the potential to sell products online. It has grown tremendously, with over 70,000 new websites created every hour and internet commerce revenue projected to grow from $35 billion in 1998 to $1.4-3.2 trillion in 2003. While online shopping provides benefits of convenience, information, and less dependence on intermediaries for firms, it also poses risks like fraud, security, and difficulty for consumers compared to traditional shopping. Experts project that by 2005, 15-20% of consumers may do 50-75% of their shopping online.
This document discusses the evolution of organizational design and structures from the 1900s to today. It covers how organizations adapted to changing business environments and customer expectations through different structural approaches proposed by theorists like Fayol and Weber. Their theories emphasized bureaucracy, specialization, and chain of command hierarchies. As businesses grew, they developed more complex departmentalization and matrix, team-based structures to improve coordination, decision making, and responsiveness to customers. Modern organizations continue adapting their structures to remain competitive through approaches like networking, virtual teams, and inverted hierarchies.
The document discusses the economics of producing energy crops for fuel conversion. It finds that while the U.S. has significant agricultural resources that could be used to produce biofuels, the costs of growing and converting most feedstocks into biofuels is currently higher than for conventional fuels. However, government policies aim to advance technologies that lower biofuel production costs and account for environmental externalities not reflected in fossil fuel prices. As technologies progress, biofuels are expected to become more competitive.
The document summarizes testimony from a House hearing on the EPA renewable fuel standard mandate. It discusses perspectives from various witnesses, including:
- Dr. Jason Hill, who concluded that corn ethanol worsens air quality and has higher lifecycle emissions than gasoline.
- NREL, who found no significant difference in emissions between E0, E15 and E20 fuels in most vehicles tested, though their analysis was limited.
- Matthew Smorch of CountryMark, who said consumers don't want higher ethanol blends and the costs of infrastructure could burden gas stations.
- Tim Reid of Mercury Marine, who presented evidence that E15 damaged boat engines in tests and did not meet manufacturer limits on emissions and reliability
This document is a portfolio proposal from James Spicer for a transit photography seminar. The portfolio will focus on documenting nighttime transit scenes including people interacting with the urban environment at bus stops, train stations, and shopping areas. It will also feature transit infrastructure like cars, roads, buses, trains and train stations. Additionally, it will include photos of people encountered along routes and at destinations. The portfolio aims to capture point to point transit from Point A to Point B through evening and nighttime photos.
This document is a portfolio proposal from James Spicer for a transit photography seminar. The portfolio will focus on documenting nighttime transit scenes including people interacting with the urban environment at bus stops, train stations, streets and shopping areas. It will also feature transit infrastructure like cars, roads, buses, trains and train stations. Additionally, the portfolio will include photos of people encountered along routes and at destinations.
The document provides an overview of induction motors, including:
1. It describes the basic operating principle of induction motors, which induce a current in the rotor via electromagnetic induction from a rotating magnetic field in the stator, rather than supplying current directly to the rotor like a synchronous motor.
2. It discusses the different types of induction motors, including single phase, three phase, squirrel cage, and slip ring rotor designs.
3. It provides some key formulas for relating supply frequency, pole pairs, synchronous speed, slip speed, and rotor speed in induction motors.
This document discusses several key aspects of military life and relationships. It notes that conflict resolution skills are important for balancing relationships that can be complicated by having more groups and people involved. Military life differs from home life in significant ways. Maintaining mission readiness is a priority, and mental health is an important consideration given that service members make up a small fraction of the overall population. The document provides references on topics like intergroup conflict, military families under stress, marital conflict resources, and research on family suffering related to war experiences.
The document discusses the manufacturing process of tires. It begins with an introduction to tires, their history, and main types. It then describes the 8 main steps of tire manufacturing in detail: 1) mixing materials, 2) extruding the tread, 3) weaving plies, 4) preparing the bead core, 5) building process, 6) vulcanization, 7) trimming, and 8) final inspection. Factors that affect tire lifespan are also reviewed such as rotation, pressure, conditions, and age. The conclusion stresses the importance of tire quality given their role in safety.
Ramo Lawn Services provides various landscaping services including spring and fall clean up, mulching, trimming, edging, new lawn installation, mowing, decorative landscape design, ornamental bushes and flowers, decorative landscaping stone and brick, patios and decks, fences, and garden bridges. They are a family owned business committed to customer satisfaction and providing quality workmanship at competitive prices.
The document describes various water feature installations for commercial and residential clients. It lists over 30 clients, providing their name, location, type of water feature installed (e.g. 3-form panels, tempered glass, acrylic), and key features (e.g. lighting, size, customization). The water features ranged from indoor wall installations to outdoor landscape features, and included waterfalls, fountains, and sculptures. The document promotes the company's expertise in modern waterfall design.
Vi is a terminal-based text editor that does not require a mouse. It was originally created in 1976 and uses different modes for commands, editing text, and ex commands. Vi allows efficient editing through keyboard shortcuts for cursor movement, deleting text, searching, replacing, and more. It can be configured through settings and options to customize indentation, wrapping, backups and other features. The document provides tips for using vi along with examples of basic C code editing in vi.
The document discusses Linux file systems and files. Some key points include:
- In Linux, everything is treated as a file with different attributes like regular files, directories, links, and devices.
- Files have owners, groups, and permissions that control access for owners, groups, and others.
- There is a predefined directory structure with important directories like /etc, /usr, /sbin, and users' home directories under /home.
- Inodes store metadata about files like attributes, ownership, and locations of data blocks on the disk.
- The document discusses the federal budget process in the United States, which involves both the Administration and Congress.
- The Administration, led by the President and agencies like OMB, first submits a budget proposal to Congress. Congress then considers the proposal through its budget committees and decides on spending levels.
- Congress passes individual appropriations bills that provide funding to agencies. These bills must be signed by the President to become law and release funds to the agencies.
Intelligent System for Alzheimer's DiseaseBrain Dynamics
This document describes the development of an intelligent system for early detection of Alzheimer's disease using neuroimaging data. The system was developed using MRI data from over 2000 subjects, including healthy individuals as well as those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Morphometric analysis and computational intelligence techniques like support vector machines, genetic algorithms, and neural networks were used to develop a classification system that could accurately classify subjects as healthy, MCI, or AD based on their neuroimaging data, with over 91% correct classification. The resulting automated system demonstrates potential for early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
1) The document provides instructions on basic Linux operations like using the terminal, the man command to view manuals, and commands like ls, cd, cp, mv, rm, more, and cat.
2) It explains how to use the man command to view manuals for commands, libraries, and files located in /usr/share/man. It also describes man section numbers and options like -a, -k, -f.
3) The last section encourages practicing basic commands like changing directories, listing files, and viewing the contents of /etc and /etc/passwd to become familiar with Linux.
El documento describe el desarrollo de un modelo de envejecimiento normal del cerebro basado en neuroimagen. Los investigadores crearon un modelo estadístico que muestra qué áreas del cerebro se atrofian más rápidamente con la edad, como los lóbulos occipitales y parietales superiores derechos y el cuneus derecho. El estudio también revela diferencias significativas en el volumen cerebral entre sujetos menores y mayores de 60 años.
Online shopping emerged with the development of the internet as entrepreneurs saw the potential to sell products online. It has grown tremendously, with over 70,000 new websites created every hour and internet commerce revenue projected to grow from $35 billion in 1998 to $1.4-3.2 trillion in 2003. While online shopping provides benefits of convenience, information, and less dependence on intermediaries for firms, it also poses risks like fraud, security, and difficulty for consumers compared to traditional shopping. Experts project that by 2005, 15-20% of consumers may do 50-75% of their shopping online.
This document discusses the evolution of organizational design and structures from the 1900s to today. It covers how organizations adapted to changing business environments and customer expectations through different structural approaches proposed by theorists like Fayol and Weber. Their theories emphasized bureaucracy, specialization, and chain of command hierarchies. As businesses grew, they developed more complex departmentalization and matrix, team-based structures to improve coordination, decision making, and responsiveness to customers. Modern organizations continue adapting their structures to remain competitive through approaches like networking, virtual teams, and inverted hierarchies.
The document discusses the economics of producing energy crops for fuel conversion. It finds that while the U.S. has significant agricultural resources that could be used to produce biofuels, the costs of growing and converting most feedstocks into biofuels is currently higher than for conventional fuels. However, government policies aim to advance technologies that lower biofuel production costs and account for environmental externalities not reflected in fossil fuel prices. As technologies progress, biofuels are expected to become more competitive.
The document summarizes testimony from a House hearing on the EPA renewable fuel standard mandate. It discusses perspectives from various witnesses, including:
- Dr. Jason Hill, who concluded that corn ethanol worsens air quality and has higher lifecycle emissions than gasoline.
- NREL, who found no significant difference in emissions between E0, E15 and E20 fuels in most vehicles tested, though their analysis was limited.
- Matthew Smorch of CountryMark, who said consumers don't want higher ethanol blends and the costs of infrastructure could burden gas stations.
- Tim Reid of Mercury Marine, who presented evidence that E15 damaged boat engines in tests and did not meet manufacturer limits on emissions and reliability
The document discusses the benefits of biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. It notes that ethanol production in the US has significantly increased in recent years and is expected to nearly triple over the next decade according to the Renewable Fuel Standard. This standard mandates that over 40 billion gallons of renewable fuels be used annually by 2022. The growth of the biofuels industry provides benefits like increased energy security by reducing oil imports, environmental benefits from reducing emissions, and economic benefits by creating new jobs and income in rural areas. However, challenges still remain around issues like water usage and increased truck transportation needs.
ETCFC presentation to the West Knox Sertoma Club, 7/14/09ETCleanFuels
This is a presentation I gave to a Sertoma Club in Knoxville in July this year. It covers a lot, starting with our coalition and what we do, then going through basics and background on oil and oil systems, to actions taking place in East Tennessee today to help us move away from oil alone in the transportation sector.
This document summarizes the current state of corn ethanol subsidies in the United States. It discusses how corn production and ethanol refining have increased in recent years due to subsidies. However, the energy balance of corn ethanol is controversial and subsidies are driving up global food prices. While corn ethanol pleases Midwest farmers, organizations argue the subsidies should be eliminated. The document concludes that corn ethanol will not satisfy domestic fuel demands and is having significant global impacts.
Ethanol has been used as a fuel for over 100 years. Henry Ford believed ethanol from agricultural waste could power vehicles. While ethanol fell out of favor due to cheap gasoline, interest has renewed due to concerns over foreign oil dependence and air pollution. Ethanol has a higher octane rating than gasoline and burns cleaner. It is produced domestically across the U.S., mostly from corn, and could help meet federal renewable fuel mandates. However, politics influence the ethanol industry as advanced biofuels seek to extend and expand federal support to encourage further development.
The ethanol market size is expected to be worth around USD 163.9 Bn by 2032 from USD 102.8 Bn in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2032.
The document discusses biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels. It outlines two main types of biofuels - bioethanol and biodiesel. Bioethanol is produced from plant materials like sugarcane, corn, and grains through fermentation. Biodiesel is produced from oilseeds like Jatropha seeds which contain 27-40% oil. The document also discusses various countries' approaches to biofuel production, including Brazil which produces bioethanol from sugarcane, and India which blends ethanol produced from sugarcane byproducts into gasoline. While biofuels provide benefits, their large-scale production could increase competition for land and water resources.
The document discusses ethanol as a substitute for petrol/gasoline. It provides an introduction to ethanol, including that it is ethyl alcohol made commonly from corn or sugarcane. The document then covers ethanol's sources and production, distribution as a fuel, advantages like being renewable but disadvantages like lower energy density than gasoline. It also discusses India's status with ethanol including benefits to its economy like rural jobs and energy security.
This document is a proposal by Joseph Kalchbrenner arguing that ethanol should be banned from use in the United States due to its negative economic and environmental impacts. The proposal claims that ethanol is not actually cleaner burning or cheaper than gasoline. Increased ethanol use would also cause food shortages and higher prices worldwide by using corn and other staple crops. Ethanol also requires fertilizers and land that damage the environment. The proposal recommends continuing to use fossil fuels and developing other renewable alternatives like cellulosic ethanol and hydrogen vehicles instead of ethanol from food crops.
This report provides an overview of the U.S. bioenergy market as of the end of 2013. It finds that conventional corn starch ethanol production dominates current bioenergy production, accounting for three-quarters of the total. Biodiesel and biopower make up most of the remaining production. The report details the feedstocks, markets, production levels, policies and incentives, infrastructure requirements, and outlook for the main biofuel types: ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable hydrocarbon biofuels. It also summarizes the biopower market and notes that capacity has increased in recent years but generation has remained flat. The report is intended to provide a snapshot of the bioenergy economy for policymakers, investors, and
The document discusses biofuels and their benefits over gasoline. Biofuels emit fewer greenhouse gases than gasoline from oil, are made from renewable sources, and can help reduce dependence on oil and greenhouse gas emissions. The key types of biofuels discussed are first generation corn ethanol and second generation advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol and algae fuel.
This document summarizes trends in global production of second generation biofuels. It discusses that commercial production of cellulosic biofuels began in 2015, with 67 second generation biofuel facilities now operating worldwide, over a third at commercial scale. The US has the most commercial second generation plants. The document reviews biofuel policies and production in regions including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Key challenges to further development include high capital costs and competition from low fossil fuel prices.
The ppt covers the current use of corn for ethanol, the Energy Independence & Security Act and its impact on corn, future prospects for corn starch based ethanol, how fast cellulosic ethanol will develop,which feedstocks will be utilized to produce cellulosic ethanol and risks to biofuels growth.
America has relied heavily on oil as its primary fuel source since the industrial revolution. Oil consumption in the United States grew substantially over the 20th century, especially for transportation. However, oil is a finite resource and domestic production has not kept up with increasing consumption. This document examines America's dependency on oil and discusses the need to transition to alternative fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, natural gas, propane, electricity, and hydrogen to reduce reliance on foreign oil and emissions. Renewable energy sources like wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal power can also help meet America's energy needs in a sustainable way.
The document provides an overview of biofuels and discusses their history, current uses, and future perspectives. It begins with defining biofuels as fuels derived from organic substances like crops and residues. It then discusses the brief history of biofuels dating back to the 1850s and reasons for their reemergence in the early 1900s. The document outlines the current energy policy goals in the US related to biofuel production and notes some of the key biofuels in use today like corn ethanol and E85 blends. In closing, it discusses perspectives on land use requirements and environmental impacts related to expanding biofuel production.
Alternative Fuels Presentation for Middle SchoolersETCleanFuels
From the negative effects of air pollution and oil dependence to the benefits of biodiesel and ethanol, this presentation covers many of the aspects of using alternative fuels.
This document summarizes a presentation on renewable and alternative transportation fuels. It provides overviews of ethanol and biodiesel, including production trends in the United States and California. It also discusses emerging fuels and highlights key points about Brazilian sugarcane ethanol, including seasonal production cycles and higher ethanol yields per acre than U.S. corn ethanol. Production of fuel ethanol is dominated by corn in the U.S. while Brazil's ethanol comes primarily from sugarcane.
Similar to Pumping Corn Into Wisconsin: Consideration for Ethanol Legislation (20)
Driving Business Innovation: Latest Generative AI Advancements & Success StorySafe Software
Are you ready to revolutionize how you handle data? Join us for a webinar where we’ll bring you up to speed with the latest advancements in Generative AI technology and discover how leveraging FME with tools from giants like Google Gemini, Amazon, and Microsoft OpenAI can supercharge your workflow efficiency.
During the hour, we’ll take you through:
Guest Speaker Segment with Hannah Barrington: Dive into the world of dynamic real estate marketing with Hannah, the Marketing Manager at Workspace Group. Hear firsthand how their team generates engaging descriptions for thousands of office units by integrating diverse data sources—from PDF floorplans to web pages—using FME transformers, like OpenAIVisionConnector and AnthropicVisionConnector. This use case will show you how GenAI can streamline content creation for marketing across the board.
Ollama Use Case: Learn how Scenario Specialist Dmitri Bagh has utilized Ollama within FME to input data, create custom models, and enhance security protocols. This segment will include demos to illustrate the full capabilities of FME in AI-driven processes.
Custom AI Models: Discover how to leverage FME to build personalized AI models using your data. Whether it’s populating a model with local data for added security or integrating public AI tools, find out how FME facilitates a versatile and secure approach to AI.
We’ll wrap up with a live Q&A session where you can engage with our experts on your specific use cases, and learn more about optimizing your data workflows with AI.
This webinar is ideal for professionals seeking to harness the power of AI within their data management systems while ensuring high levels of customization and security. Whether you're a novice or an expert, gain actionable insights and strategies to elevate your data processes. Join us to see how FME and AI can revolutionize how you work with data!
Essentials of Automations: Exploring Attributes & Automation ParametersSafe Software
Building automations in FME Flow can save time, money, and help businesses scale by eliminating data silos and providing data to stakeholders in real-time. One essential component to orchestrating complex automations is the use of attributes & automation parameters (both formerly known as “keys”). In fact, it’s unlikely you’ll ever build an Automation without using these components, but what exactly are they?
Attributes & automation parameters enable the automation author to pass data values from one automation component to the next. During this webinar, our FME Flow Specialists will cover leveraging the three types of these output attributes & parameters in FME Flow: Event, Custom, and Automation. As a bonus, they’ll also be making use of the Split-Merge Block functionality.
You’ll leave this webinar with a better understanding of how to maximize the potential of automations by making use of attributes & automation parameters, with the ultimate goal of setting your enterprise integration workflows up on autopilot.
zkStudyClub - LatticeFold: A Lattice-based Folding Scheme and its Application...Alex Pruden
Folding is a recent technique for building efficient recursive SNARKs. Several elegant folding protocols have been proposed, such as Nova, Supernova, Hypernova, Protostar, and others. However, all of them rely on an additively homomorphic commitment scheme based on discrete log, and are therefore not post-quantum secure. In this work we present LatticeFold, the first lattice-based folding protocol based on the Module SIS problem. This folding protocol naturally leads to an efficient recursive lattice-based SNARK and an efficient PCD scheme. LatticeFold supports folding low-degree relations, such as R1CS, as well as high-degree relations, such as CCS. The key challenge is to construct a secure folding protocol that works with the Ajtai commitment scheme. The difficulty, is ensuring that extracted witnesses are low norm through many rounds of folding. We present a novel technique using the sumcheck protocol to ensure that extracted witnesses are always low norm no matter how many rounds of folding are used. Our evaluation of the final proof system suggests that it is as performant as Hypernova, while providing post-quantum security.
Paper Link: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/257
In the realm of cybersecurity, offensive security practices act as a critical shield. By simulating real-world attacks in a controlled environment, these techniques expose vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. This proactive approach allows manufacturers to identify and fix weaknesses, significantly enhancing system security.
This presentation delves into the development of a system designed to mimic Galileo's Open Service signal using software-defined radio (SDR) technology. We'll begin with a foundational overview of both Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and the intricacies of digital signal processing.
The presentation culminates in a live demonstration. We'll showcase the manipulation of Galileo's Open Service pilot signal, simulating an attack on various software and hardware systems. This practical demonstration serves to highlight the potential consequences of unaddressed vulnerabilities, emphasizing the importance of offensive security practices in safeguarding critical infrastructure.
Introduction of Cybersecurity with OSS at Code Europe 2024Hiroshi SHIBATA
I develop the Ruby programming language, RubyGems, and Bundler, which are package managers for Ruby. Today, I will introduce how to enhance the security of your application using open-source software (OSS) examples from Ruby and RubyGems.
The first topic is CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures). I have published CVEs many times. But what exactly is a CVE? I'll provide a basic understanding of CVEs and explain how to detect and handle vulnerabilities in OSS.
Next, let's discuss package managers. Package managers play a critical role in the OSS ecosystem. I'll explain how to manage library dependencies in your application.
I'll share insights into how the Ruby and RubyGems core team works to keep our ecosystem safe. By the end of this talk, you'll have a better understanding of how to safeguard your code.
Skybuffer SAM4U tool for SAP license adoptionTatiana Kojar
Manage and optimize your license adoption and consumption with SAM4U, an SAP free customer software asset management tool.
SAM4U, an SAP complimentary software asset management tool for customers, delivers a detailed and well-structured overview of license inventory and usage with a user-friendly interface. We offer a hosted, cost-effective, and performance-optimized SAM4U setup in the Skybuffer Cloud environment. You retain ownership of the system and data, while we manage the ABAP 7.58 infrastructure, ensuring fixed Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and exceptional services through the SAP Fiori interface.
Conversational agents, or chatbots, are increasingly used to access all sorts of services using natural language. While open-domain chatbots - like ChatGPT - can converse on any topic, task-oriented chatbots - the focus of this paper - are designed for specific tasks, like booking a flight, obtaining customer support, or setting an appointment. Like any other software, task-oriented chatbots need to be properly tested, usually by defining and executing test scenarios (i.e., sequences of user-chatbot interactions). However, there is currently a lack of methods to quantify the completeness and strength of such test scenarios, which can lead to low-quality tests, and hence to buggy chatbots.
To fill this gap, we propose adapting mutation testing (MuT) for task-oriented chatbots. To this end, we introduce a set of mutation operators that emulate faults in chatbot designs, an architecture that enables MuT on chatbots built using heterogeneous technologies, and a practical realisation as an Eclipse plugin. Moreover, we evaluate the applicability, effectiveness and efficiency of our approach on open-source chatbots, with promising results.
Your One-Stop Shop for Python Success: Top 10 US Python Development Providersakankshawande
Simplify your search for a reliable Python development partner! This list presents the top 10 trusted US providers offering comprehensive Python development services, ensuring your project's success from conception to completion.
Monitoring and Managing Anomaly Detection on OpenShift.pdfTosin Akinosho
Monitoring and Managing Anomaly Detection on OpenShift
Overview
Dive into the world of anomaly detection on edge devices with our comprehensive hands-on tutorial. This SlideShare presentation will guide you through the entire process, from data collection and model training to edge deployment and real-time monitoring. Perfect for those looking to implement robust anomaly detection systems on resource-constrained IoT/edge devices.
Key Topics Covered
1. Introduction to Anomaly Detection
- Understand the fundamentals of anomaly detection and its importance in identifying unusual behavior or failures in systems.
2. Understanding Edge (IoT)
- Learn about edge computing and IoT, and how they enable real-time data processing and decision-making at the source.
3. What is ArgoCD?
- Discover ArgoCD, a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes, and its role in deploying applications on edge devices.
4. Deployment Using ArgoCD for Edge Devices
- Step-by-step guide on deploying anomaly detection models on edge devices using ArgoCD.
5. Introduction to Apache Kafka and S3
- Explore Apache Kafka for real-time data streaming and Amazon S3 for scalable storage solutions.
6. Viewing Kafka Messages in the Data Lake
- Learn how to view and analyze Kafka messages stored in a data lake for better insights.
7. What is Prometheus?
- Get to know Prometheus, an open-source monitoring and alerting toolkit, and its application in monitoring edge devices.
8. Monitoring Application Metrics with Prometheus
- Detailed instructions on setting up Prometheus to monitor the performance and health of your anomaly detection system.
9. What is Camel K?
- Introduction to Camel K, a lightweight integration framework built on Apache Camel, designed for Kubernetes.
10. Configuring Camel K Integrations for Data Pipelines
- Learn how to configure Camel K for seamless data pipeline integrations in your anomaly detection workflow.
11. What is a Jupyter Notebook?
- Overview of Jupyter Notebooks, an open-source web application for creating and sharing documents with live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text.
12. Jupyter Notebooks with Code Examples
- Hands-on examples and code snippets in Jupyter Notebooks to help you implement and test anomaly detection models.
HCL Notes and Domino License Cost Reduction in the World of DLAUpanagenda
Webinar Recording: https://www.panagenda.com/webinars/hcl-notes-and-domino-license-cost-reduction-in-the-world-of-dlau/
The introduction of DLAU and the CCB & CCX licensing model caused quite a stir in the HCL community. As a Notes and Domino customer, you may have faced challenges with unexpected user counts and license costs. You probably have questions on how this new licensing approach works and how to benefit from it. Most importantly, you likely have budget constraints and want to save money where possible. Don’t worry, we can help with all of this!
We’ll show you how to fix common misconfigurations that cause higher-than-expected user counts, and how to identify accounts which you can deactivate to save money. There are also frequent patterns that can cause unnecessary cost, like using a person document instead of a mail-in for shared mailboxes. We’ll provide examples and solutions for those as well. And naturally we’ll explain the new licensing model.
Join HCL Ambassador Marc Thomas in this webinar with a special guest appearance from Franz Walder. It will give you the tools and know-how to stay on top of what is going on with Domino licensing. You will be able lower your cost through an optimized configuration and keep it low going forward.
These topics will be covered
- Reducing license cost by finding and fixing misconfigurations and superfluous accounts
- How do CCB and CCX licenses really work?
- Understanding the DLAU tool and how to best utilize it
- Tips for common problem areas, like team mailboxes, functional/test users, etc
- Practical examples and best practices to implement right away
Programming Foundation Models with DSPy - Meetup SlidesZilliz
Prompting language models is hard, while programming language models is easy. In this talk, I will discuss the state-of-the-art framework DSPy for programming foundation models with its powerful optimizers and runtime constraint system.
Taking AI to the Next Level in Manufacturing.pdfssuserfac0301
Read Taking AI to the Next Level in Manufacturing to gain insights on AI adoption in the manufacturing industry, such as:
1. How quickly AI is being implemented in manufacturing.
2. Which barriers stand in the way of AI adoption.
3. How data quality and governance form the backbone of AI.
4. Organizational processes and structures that may inhibit effective AI adoption.
6. Ideas and approaches to help build your organization's AI strategy.
What is an RPA CoE? Session 1 – CoE VisionDianaGray10
In the first session, we will review the organization's vision and how this has an impact on the COE Structure.
Topics covered:
• The role of a steering committee
• How do the organization’s priorities determine CoE Structure?
Speaker:
Chris Bolin, Senior Intelligent Automation Architect Anika Systems
Northern Engraving | Nameplate Manufacturing Process - 2024Northern Engraving
Manufacturing custom quality metal nameplates and badges involves several standard operations. Processes include sheet prep, lithography, screening, coating, punch press and inspection. All decoration is completed in the flat sheet with adhesive and tooling operations following. The possibilities for creating unique durable nameplates are endless. How will you create your brand identity? We can help!
Northern Engraving | Nameplate Manufacturing Process - 2024
Pumping Corn Into Wisconsin: Consideration for Ethanol Legislation
1. Pumping Corn into Wisconsin:
Consideration for Ethanol Legislation
By Justin Dohms
2. The Growth in Ethanol
The price of gasoline has risen to record highs with no end in the near future.
Consumers are spending well over 2 dollars for a gallon across the country, and the peak
summer demand will stall any ideas of price decreases. The United States hasn’t
provided the majority of oil it consumes since the early 1970’s, and the current prices
have illustrated our dependence on foreign sources once again. To combat the problem,
the U.S. government has urged those foreign sources to increase production and has
proposed drilling in environmentally sensitive areas to increase future domestic
production. Citizens are doing there part by beginning to re-evaluate their driving needs
and switching to more efficient vehicles. Regional interest into the production of bio-
fuels has also exploded, with ethanol at the forefront, to reduce the dependency on
foreign oil.
State legislators from both sides of the aisle are seeking to expand and secure the
ethanol market with the introduction of legislation that would mandate a 10%/90% (E10)
ethanol to gasoline mixture in all regular-grade automotive gasoline across Wisconsin.
State Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) and State Representative Davis (R-Oregon)
launched the bi-partisan effort with introduction of SB15 and AB15. The bill would
make Wisconsin the third state, after Minnesota and Hawaii, to mandate the widespread
automotive use of the gasohol, or E10.
Ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, is 100% grain alcohol that was used in the first vehicles
designed by Henry Ford. It is produced from the distillation of biomass materials,
including wheat, potato wastes, sawdust, rice straw, paper mill wastes, yard clippings,
molasses, sugarcane, brewery waste or anything containing sugar, starch or cellulose.1
The overwhelming majority of ethanol is produced from corn, however, and the
discussion in Wisconsin has centered around corn-derived ethanol fuel. While Ford’s
Model T accepted the straight grain alcohol, today ethanol is commonly mixed with
gasoline to form E10, or gasohol, a 90%
gasoline and 10% ethanol mixture. This blend,
with ethanol’s octane-boosting qualities, is sold
statewide by participating stations and
accounted for 9% of total motor fuel sold in
2003.2
Its use is most concentrated in
southeastern Wisconsin, where it is a
component of the reformulated gasoline (RFG)
mandated by the Clean Air Act Amendments of
1990. The Amendment focused on the worst air
quality areas in the country, called non-
attainment zones, and required vehicles to use
RFG in an attempt to lessen the amount of smog
and ozone-contributing emissions. Since 2003,
1
EPA 420-F-00—035 March 2002, www.epa.gov
2
WI Dept. of Revenue “Motor Vehicle and General Aviation Fuel Tax Statistical Report” (1985-2003)
3. ethanol has been the oxygenate of choice for Wisconsin.3 This is largely due to the
phase-out of MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, which has been found to contaminate
drinking water sources.
Ethanol has a higher octane but a lower energy value than gasoline. The former
quality led the federal government in 1995 to mandate its use, as an oxygenate in
reformulated gasoline (RFG), in six southeastern Wisconsin counties to improve air
quality. This 10% ethanol gasohol produces more complete combustion of gasoline, and
therefore is suppose to emit fewer particulates into the atmosphere.
Ethanol’s latter quality is of some concern for Wisconsin consumers. One gallon
of corn-based ethanol contains roughly 2/3 the energy value of a gallon of gasoline. In
other words, a car that could drive 30 miles on a gallon of gasoline would go 20 miles
with a gallon of ethanol. The proposed legislation would mandate up to a 10% ethanol to
90% gasoline, and many consumers might not notice a large difference in fuel costs, but
the aggregate effect would equal a greater quantity of fuel purchased. Furthermore, the
cost of a gallon of the E10 blend might be more expensive. When asked in an interview
with WI Public Radio if the blend would be cheaper, Bill Bruins, president of WI Farm
Bureau Federation, responded: “Cheaper isn’t really what’s going to happen.”4
Ethanol remains attractive, though, because of its promise to reduce the
dependency on foreign oil, provide an environmentally safe fuel source and inject rural
Wisconsin with an economic stimulus. Rising prices in oil, however, have made ethanol
more competitive and propelled it into the national energy agenda, with many in the Corn
Belt ready to harvest profits. Experts are not in total agreement on corn-derived ethanol
as a renewable resource and its effect on the environment, though, and studies performed-
to-date do not conclusively support its use.
Ethanol Net Energy Value (NET)
Determining the net energy value, or NET, of corn-derived ethanol is
controversial. NET is formulated by calculating the energy content of ethanol minus the
fossil energy used to produce the ethanol.5 Conclusions from studies over the years vary
due to variations in scope regarding energy inputs and outputs. An overly simplistic
study might conclude that only energy from the sun is needed to grow corn, and thus
conclude that ethanol is renewable. Ethanol production is much more complex, and each
step from ethanol’s lifecycle requires more energy inputs, as the illustration below shows.
The illustration below was provided by the Argonne National Laboratory, the
U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Research Lab, in 2004, which concluded a positive net energy
value for corn ethanol.
3
WI Department of Administration. http://www.doa.state.wi.us/docs_view2.asp?docid=770
4
Interview w/ Joy Cardin, WI Public Radio, March 7, 2005.
5
Shapouri, Hosein. James Duffield, Michael Wang. “The Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol: An Update.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Office of the Chief Economist, Office of Energy Policy and New Uses.
Agricultural Economic Report No. 813, July 2002.
4. Source: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, “Argonne National Laboratory
Ethanol Study: Key points.” http://www.drivingethanol.org/ArgonneNatlLabEthanolStudy.pdf
Studies often cited in support of corn-based ethanol include one in 1997 by the
Argonne National Laboratory6 and the USDA’s 2002 and 2004 reports7. The 2004
USDA study is referred to in the 2005 RFA (Renewable Fuels Assoc.) Outlook Report,
finding that “ethanol produces 167% of the fossil energy that is used to grow, harvest,
transport and refine grain into ethanol.”8 However, the RFA is guilty of plucking
numbers to support their industry. Immediately preceding the USDA 2004 finding, they
explain that solar energy is all that is needed to produce corn.
Conversely, studies that find a negative net value have been criticized for not
including solar energy at all. They have also been criticized for not including credits for
the energy contained within byproducts of corn-ethanol production, such as distillers
grains. Studies that have found a negative energy value include those from Cornell
Professor David Pimental published in 1991, 2001, and 2003. He claims “ethanol
production is a waste of energy, consuming 70 percent more energy to produce than it
generates when used as a fuel.”9
Compiled below is a selection of studies illustrating the variations in measuring
corn-ethanol’s net energy value. This lack of consistency explains the preparedness of
proponents and critics alike to provide numbers supporting their view.
6
Wang, M., C. Saricks, and M. Wu: 1997, “Fuel-cycle fossil energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of
fuel ethanol produced from U.S. Midwest corn”. Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Transportation
Research, Argonne, IL 60439.
7
Shapouri, H., J.A. Duffield, and M. Wang: 2002, “The Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol: An Update”.
Agricultural Economic Report No. 814, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Office of
the Chief Economist, Office of Energy Policy and New Uses, Washington, D.C.
8
RFA. “Homegrown for the Homeland Ethanol Industry outlook 2005” Feb. 2005 p.8.
9
Schoen, John W. “ Ethanol: Boon or boondoggle?” CNBC Business. 2004 MSNBC Interactive.
5. Environmental Impacts
The national lobbying group Renewable Fuels Association is quick to promote
corn-based ethanol as environmentally benign. They’ll argue that because ethanol, which
is 35% oxygen, aids in more complete combustion of gasoline, air pollution is reduced.10
Also, they will tout ethanol as water soluble, non-toxic and biodegradable.
The sun does aid in the growth of corn, but in order to grow, produce, and
distribute corn-ethanol other input variables need to be considered. In addition to the
sun’s energy, today’s corn hybrids require more nitrogen fertilizer and pesticide than any
other food crop.11 Also, corn production in the U.S. erodes soil about 18 times faster than
it can be reformed.12 Therefore, to really understand the amount of energy needed to
produce one gallon of ethanol a broader lifecycle scope is needed.
Wisconsinites are familiar with the effects of agricultural run-off. This year,
headlines revealed that manure fertilizer caused numerous fish-kills around the state. In
Madison, algae-bloom outbreaks that require the closing of beaches and that suffocate
fish are very visible results from run-off, both agricultural and urban. The results from
current corn production call into question corn-derived ethanol’s renewable status. In
2003, U.S. farmers produced 9 billion bushels of corn. This corn required 9 billion
pounds of nitrogen fertilizer, 3 billion pounds of phosphate fertilizer, and 4 billion pound
of potash.13
10
RFA “2005 outlook” p.12
11
Pollan, M.: 2002, “Industrial Corn- Destroying Our Health & Environment”. New York Times, July 18th,
Op Ed.
12
Pimentel, D.: 1996, Food, Energy, and Society. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado.
13
USDA: 2003. U.S. Department of Agriculture: http://www.nass.usda.gov:81/ipedb/.
6. Increasing the use of ethanol causes concern for the health of ground and drinking
water. Ethanol is bio-degradable but can be highly corrosive. The combination of
ethanol and gasoline may actually cause more soil pollution than gasoline alone.14 In the
event of a tank leak, soil would first concentrate on biodegrading the ethanol
components, allowing the gasoline components, such as benzene, to slip deeper into the
soil before the soil concentrated on its breakdown.15 From 1990 to 2003, the EPA
received reports of 400,000 leaks in gasoline storage tanks.16
The process of growing corn, harvesting it, fermenting it, transporting it and
ultimately burning it in the form of an automotive gasoline mixture presents an array of
possible air pollution sources. To safely evaluate and predict the air emissions effects
from an increase in corn-derived ethanol, one needs to consider ethanol’s entire lifecycle
in order to ensure that emissions reduction from one source does not divert our attention
from an increase from other sources.
In their 2005 Ethanol Outlook Report, the Renewable Fuels Association, a pro-
ethanol lobbying firm, insists that a 10% ethanol blended fuel would:
• Reduce tailpipe fine particulate matter (PM) emissions by 50%.
• Reduce secondary PM formation by diluting aromatic content in gasoline.
• Reduce carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by up to 30% - even in new cars.
• Reduce toxics content by 13% (mass).
• Reduce toxics content by 21% (potency)17
Ethanol also has a positive benefit in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction,
according to the Argonne study. Wang found that, on a per gallon basis, corn ethanol
reduces GHG emissions by 18-29%, National Corn Growers Association says.18
Most studies seem to agree that ethanol reduces emissions from carbon monoxide.
However, it has been found to increase emissions from nitrogen oxides (NOx),
acetaldehyde, and peroxy-acetyl-nitrate (PAN)19 In Minnesota, ethanol has been
applauded for helping the Twin Cities area to meet their nonattainment EPA air
standards, particularly for a reduction in CO emissions. Dan Gunderson, spokesperson
for the Coalition Against Government Gasoline Mandates, argues that Minneapolis was
14
Rice, D.W. et al.:1999 “Health and Environmental Assessment of the Use of Ethanol as a Fuel
Oxygenate- Report to the California Environmental Policy Council in Response to Executive Order D-
599”. UCRL-AR-135949, Air Resources Board, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA.
15
Powers, S.E., C.S. Hunt, S.E. Hermann, H.X. Corseuil, D.W. Rice, and P.J.J.Alvarez: 2001, “The
Transport and Fate of Ethanol and BTEX in Groundwater Contaminated by Gasohol”. Critical Reviews in
Env.Sci. and Techn. 31, 79-123.
16
U.S. E.P.A., Corrective Action Measures Archive, Data on number of active and closed tanks, releases
reported, cleanups initiated and completed, and emergency responses,
http://www.epa.gov/oust/cat/camarchv.htm.
17
Renewable Fuels Assoc., “Homegrown for the Homeland: Ethanol Industry Outlook 2005” February
2005, p.12. http//www.ethanolrfa.org/outlook2005.html.
18
Agriculture Online. “New study confronts old thinking on ethanol’s net energy value.” March 28, 2005.
www.agriculture.com.
19
Rice, D.W. et al.:1999 “Health and Environmental Assessment of the Use of Ethanol as a Fuel
Oxygenate- Report to the California Environmental Policy Council in Response to Executive Order D-
599”. UCRL-AR-135949, Air Resources Board, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA.
7. successful in lowering its CO emissions, but that the Milwaukee nonattainment zone
doesn’t have a CO problem, but a volatile organic compound problem, which produces
summertime smog.20
A recent study by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG),
has found that a 10% ethanol/gasoline mixture would produce more emissions of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx).21 These chief ingredients of
ozone are precisely what the nonattainment areas of southeastern Wisconsin are trying to
control.22 In a statement before the Assembly Agricultural Committee, Thomas
Darlington drew parallels between the Michigan study and proposed bills in Wisconsin.
“The key findings and observations on VOC emissions relative to the current discussion
on AB15 is that increasing the ethanol market shore to 100% (100% E10 option) would
result in significant VOC emission increases due to increased permeation.”23
The study has been referred to by the WI Manufactures & Commerce, which is
concerned that the bill would make meeting ozone standards in southeastern WI more
difficult.24 An E10 ethanol blend is already mandated in southeastern WI, but some
worry that an increase in use by surrounding counties and cars entering the area might
push the level of VOCs and NOx’s unacceptable levels.
Ethanol Plants
The number of ethanol plants is
increasing rapidly to meet the growing
demand for ethanol. These plants will not
only bring much-needed jobs to rural
Wisconsin, but more coal and natural gas
emissions as well. These fueling options are
the cheapest and are in stable domestic
supply—attractive qualities for plant
operators. Granted that newer coal-burning
technology emits less than there ancestors,
building and operating new ethanol plants
will increase the amount of coal-derived air
emissions.
Ethanol plants have been given much
attention lately for their potential to inject
rural towns with economic stimulation. The
WI Department of Administration estimates
that a “40-million gallon ethanol plant
would create 41 full time jobs, increase
20
Interview w/ Joy Cardin, WI Public Radio, March 7, 2005.
21
Darlington, Thomas. “Statement before Assembly Agriculture Committee,” February 3, 2005, p.1.
22
Ibid.
23
Darlington, p.5.
24
Pommer, Matt. “Ethanol For All Gas Revs Feud: Proposed Mandate Pits Ag vs. Industry,” The Capital
Times, Feb. 4, 2005, p.2.
8. household income in the community by $19.6 million a year, and boost state and local tax
receipts by an average of $1.2 million.”25
As of January 2005, Wisconsin is home to three operating plants with two under
construction, and all are around the 40 million gallons per year output range. In 2004,
Wisconsin plants produced 210 million gallons of ethanol. In comparison, Iowa
produced 1.2 billion gallons and Minnesota 524 million gallons in the same year.26
There are two types of ethanol plants: dry-mill and
wet-mill. At dry-mill plants, corn is ground and cooked to convert the starch into sugars,
which are then fermented. Ethanol, distiller’s grains and carbon dioxide are the primary
products from this technique. Since the production of ethanol only requires the corn
starch, the remaining nutrients and protein are sold as
Wisconsin Ethanol Plant
Locations
dried distillers grains and locally as wet distiller’s
grains to feed dairy and beef cattle. The grains are
1. ACE Ethanol, Stanley, lucrative, as a dry plant may be able to produce 2.7
operating at 40 MGY gallons of ethanol, 18 pounds of dried distillers grains
(Million Gallons/Year),
started operations July 2002.
with solubles (DDGS) and 18 pounds of CO2 from
2. Badger State Ethanol, one bushel of corn.27 Dry-mill plants produced
Monroe, 40 MGY, started seventy-five percent of U.S. total ethanol production
operations in September in 2004.28 Wet-mills are more expensive to build and
2002.
3. Utica Energy (Olson's Mill), seem to be less profitable.
Oshkosh, 40 MGY, started Communities’ reception to ethanol plants is
operations April 2003. mixed. While residents of the smaller farming towns
4. United Wisconsin Grain
Producers (Under want to support their communities, many consider the
Construction), Friesland, 40 plants as heavy industrial—increasing the risk of
MGY, target completion spills, large truck traffic, air pollution, and water
April 2005.
5. Western Wisconsin
concerns. Regarding water needs for an ethanol
Renewable Energy Co-op plant, estimates of a half million gallons of water is
(Under Construction), needed per day to operate a plant.29
Wheeler, 40 MGY, target
completion Spring 2006. In addition to this NIMBY (not-in-my-
backyard) effect, residents have environmental
www.doa.state.wi.us complaints, such as a strong yeast odor that may
permeate through neighborhoods. Furthermore, in
Minnesota “plants have released pollutants into
wetlands in violations of their permits or without
obtaining the proper permit.”30
25
“Erpenbach and Davis Co-Sponsor Renewable Fuel Blend Legislation,” January 20, 2005.
www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/sen27/news/PR2005/pr2005_003.htm.
26
Renewable Fuels Assoc., “Homegrown for the Homeland: Ethanol Industry Outlook 2005” February
2005, p. 3.www.ethanolrfa.org/outlook2005.html.
27
Kaiser, Robert. “Utilizing the Growing Local Supply of Distillers Grains.” Univ. of WI-Extension, Dairy
Agent. http://www.wisc.edu/dysci/uwex/nutritn/pubs/KaiserDistillersGrains.pdf
28
Ibid
29
Interview w/ Joy Cardin, WI Public Radio, March 7, 2005.
30
Meersman, Tom. “Ethanol plants pose pollution challenge,” Star Tribune July 8, 2001.
9. Conclusion
Ethanol seems very popular around the state due to its economic promises.
Farmers want to increase their incomes, cities and towns want to increase their revenues,
investors their capital investments. Critics argue that the state should not be in the
business of mandating fuel markets, and also that farmers receive enough subsidies
already. Also, mandating a demand for ethanol does not guarantee a constant supply.
In Wisconsin, most ethanol is derived from corn, which is sometimes victim to bad crop
yields. This volatility causes concern for future fuel and food costs.
Ethanol may be produced from many different sources and depends on the region
it is produced within. Also, corn-derived ethanol is not the most efficient to produce and
produces fewer environmental advantages than other sources such as switch-grass, which
grows well in Wisconsin climates. However, there is a lot of momentum to convert the
state’s corn stockpiles into profitable products like fuel and cattle feed.
In regards to air emissions and the net energy value of corn-derived ethanol, I
would like to see more consistent studies performed. There isn’t a standard by which to
measure the complete environmental effects of the ethanol lifecycle. The “scope” of
studies regarding ethanol needs to be honest and complete, because study results at this
time may be plucked and used to either side’s advantage. This results in a blurring of the
real effects of ethanol production and combustion.
While reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing air emissions should
be the goal of any renewable energy policy, there is reason to question ethanol
“renewability,” and I’m not sure that we need to rush into mandating the ethanol market.
If consumers supported ethanol and what it provides, ethanol would not need state
legislation limiting their fuel station options. Furthermore, the total costs--prices at the
pump, federal/state corn and ethanol production subsidies and tax relief—should be
included in the discussion and warrants study.