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So how much energy can you produce from various forms of organic supply and waste? A lot depends on the supply, but here's some generic rules of thumb that I've run across while doing research. Ethanol Production Ethanol can be produced from a variety of resources, including sugar cane, corn, sugar beets, and potatoes, just to name few. Each has it's distinct advantages and disadvantages from a production standpoint, primarily related to sugar content and production quantity per acre. Below is a chart that summarizes some various Ethanol production crops , their potential ethanol (99.5%) production, and how much is required. Also included is the temperate area that the crop will grow, as this is important in consideration of location for production. | Crop | Climate | Lbs. / Acre
| Gallons / Acre
| Gallons / ton
| Energy (Btu) / Gallon | Energy / Acre (Btu)
| Sugar Cane (Hawaii)
| Hot | 128,758
| 889.0 | 15.2
| 75,700 | 67,297,300 | Corn
| Temperate
| 5,605
| 214.0 | 84.0
| 75,700
| 16,199,800 | Sugar Beets
| Cool
| 41,014
| 412.0 | 22.1
| 75,700 | 31,188,400 | Potatoes
| Temperate | 28,725
| 299.0 | 22.9
| 75,700 | 22,634,300 |
So it's obviously a tradeoff. My question is why are so many Ethanol processors looking at using Corn, when both Sugar Beets and Potatoes provide a much higher energy production per acre?
Methane Production Methane production has some different issues than Ethanol. Since it's primary input is waste products, the potential supply provides for much more variety. Below is an overview: | Livestock | VS Production per animal (lbs/day) | Power Potential (kWh/animal/day) | | Dairy Cows | 6.2 | 1.24 | | Swine | 1.64 | 0.328 | | Poultry layers | 0.048 | 0.0096 | | Poultry broilers | 0.034 | 0.0068 | | Turkeys | 0.091 | 0.0182 | | Sheep and lambs | 0.92 | 0.184 | | Total |
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And here's some links to some other fuel comparison websites: http://www.pelletheat.org/3/residential/compareFuel.cfm
http://www.pelletboiler.com/mh_fuel_price_comparison.asp
http://www.greenwoodfurnace.com/Heating_with_Wood.htm
Last update: 10-04-2008 07:48
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Research and Development 
