Underground Ethanol Pipes for the US?
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 9.07
Leonard Boswell wants alternative fuels to be far more easily available to the American public. The Iowa Congressmen has introduced bipartisan legislation, calling for research into underground pipelines for ethanol and bio-diesel.
If the bill becomes law, it will force the Department of Energy to conduct a technological, economic, regulatory and financial study into the viability of transporting the fuels underground, and distributing them to fuel stations around the country.
However, many believe that creating a large and expensive infrastructure for these fuels is rash. There are huge problems with their production, which need to be solved before they are a sustainable solution. Production of bio-fuels has been shown to push up food crop prices, and is often the cause of deforestation due to the large demand for more planting space. New and better techniques for production are emerging all the time, but it still has some way to go.
Even if they were a viable solution today, would it be worth investing money and energy in creating a permanent infrastructure for something that many see as a short-term solution? Ideally we won’t still be using this technology in 20 years, but instead relying on electric cars powered, ideally, by clean power stations.
Who knows what technology will emerge before a huge undertaking like this provided enough benefit to offset its production, both financially and ecologically?
The bill also calls for an investigation into using existing pipelines for transportation of alternative fuels, which has up till now proven problematic. This would, if possible, be a good solution as the infrastructure already exists. In any case, projects like this require a lot of fore-thought, as that pipe network, if built, will remain with us for a long time. :: The Energy Blog
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
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- Tropical Forests Better Left Intact As Carbon Sinks Than Converted to Biofuel Plantations
- Ethanol Industry Still Dodging Blame For Role In Global Food Crisis
- Obama Commitment on Second Gen Biofuels Good, Let’s Hold Him To It
Never trust someone from Iowa about ethanol.
If ehtanol is hygroscopic, how can it be shipped by pipeline?
I thought this was a big downside of ethanol as a motor fuel, or have I been seriously misinformed?
Sounds like a ploy to get money for the state.
Wanna bet the pipes will be made of petrochemicals?
An ethanol pipeline would connect what to what?
Ethanol production is much different than fossil fuel production. Corn ethanol production is spread across the country in many relatively small distilleries that process the corn from farmers in a 30-mile radius or so. An ethanol pipeline would have to start with a web that would somehow collect fuel from a number of small distilleries scattered across a large area.
On the other hand, fossil fuel refineries are concentrated in a few areas such as the Gulf Coast. Several refineries on the Gulf Coast dump their output into a single pipeline -- the famous Colonial Pipeline that heads to the Northeast. (I read somewhere recently that it takes on the order of 150 million barrels just to keep the Colonial full so that it can operate. If the pipeline isn't already full, when you put a barrel in the south end nothing will come out the northeast end. )
A pipeline system for ethanol would have to be a completely different model than a pipeline for gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel.
If corn ethanol ever becomes profitable without subsidies (and that's a huge question) there will be many smaller distilleries spread across the country collecting corn from local farmers and providing fuel to small service regions. There will be little reason for Connecticut drivers to be burning Iowa corn ethanol, when they can burn ethanol that started as corn in Pennsylvania or Maryland.
The distribution model and use patterns for corn ethanol are much different than for petroleum-derived fuels.
I think Congressman Boswell has a case of "pipeline envy."
Regards,
Gary Dikkers