Myth: 15% Ethanol Fuel Will Destroy My Engine

[Bill USA]

20. Farrell et al found Ethn ENergy balance positive, found Pimentel & Patzek's findings highly dubious

Farrell et al study: Ethanol Can Contribute to Energy and Environmental Goals, was published in Jan 2006 in the journal Science.

Farrell et al examined several studies of Ethanol's net energy balance (net energy output -- i.e. net of energy inputs)
they found two 'studies' in particular that were dubious as to conclusions because of unexpained inputs and "input data that are old and unrepresentative of current processes, or so poorly documented that their quality cannot be evaluated".....the 'studies' referred to were two articles by Pimentel and Tad Patzek (a former petroleum engineer for on of the major oil companies, I bevlieve is was Shell Oil):

http://fire.pppl.gov/ethanol_science_012706.pdf

[font size="3"]Two of the studies stand out from the others because they report negative net energy values and imply relatively high GHG emissions and petroleum inputs ([font color="red"]11, 12[/font]). The close evaluation required to replicate the net energy results showed that these two studies also stand apart from the others by incorrectly assuming that ethanol coproducts (materials inevitably generated when ethanol is made, such as dried distiller grains with solubles, corn gluten feed, and corn oil) should not be credited with any of the input energy and by including some input data that are old and unrepresentative of current processes, or so poorly documented that their quality cannot be evaluated.

References and Notes:

[font color="red"]11. T. Patzek, Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 23, 519 (2004).
12. D. Pimentel, T. Patzek, Nat. Resour. Res. 14, 65 (2005).[/font]
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