...Illinois to begin producing ethanol. The Wall Street Journal has publish a recent article about the federal government’s plan to increase the use of corn-based ethanol as a resource to fuel more plants. It is believed that new laws and regulations will be in favor of producing ethanol. Land can be bought at a fixed price with savings of $800,000. The voices of colleagues are making positive suggestions to follow the promise of fortune but without any foundational data. When considering making a entry into the market of ethanol, the banker should consider several things such as market structure and creating value. This paper examines the proposed decision of the banker to pursue entry into the ethanol industry. After reading this paper, readers will have a better understanding of what to consider when entering a new market. Introduction Before making a business, careful thought should be given so that risks and reward decisions can be made to minimize cost. Startup cost, opportunity, and value are some things that need to be considered. The advice of the co-workers is friendly advice but not good business advice to make a decision. It is easy just to be speculative but a good thorough analysis would provide information, including any factual data. Land costs would total $800,000 which was accumulated from save bonuses. There are a number of other things to consider. Fixed and variable costs would need to be given consideration. If no ethanol is produced, fixed cost will...
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...Iowa State University Digital Repository @ Iowa State University Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate College 2012 Three essays on biofuel, environmental economics, and international trade Jingbo Cui Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons, Agricultural Economics Commons, Economics Commons, and the Natural Resource Economics Commons Recommended Citation Cui, Jingbo, "Three essays on biofuel, environmental economics, and international trade" (2012). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. Paper 12304. This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at Digital Repository @ Iowa State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Repository @ Iowa State University. For more information, please contact hinefuku@iastate.edu. Three essays on biofuel, environmental economics, and international trade by Jingbo Cui A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Economics Program of Study Committee: Harvey Lapan, Co-major Professor GianCarlo Moschini, Co-major Professor Sebastien Pouliot John Schroeter Rajesh Singh Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2012 Copyright c Jingbo Cui, 2012. All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION ...
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...Research Paper HUMN 432 - Society, Culture and Technology Ethanol in Brazil Team A I. Introduction 3 II. Brazil 4 a. Short history 4 b. Brazil during the oil crisis in the 70’s 6 III. Ethanol as bio-fuel 7 a. Extraction process 7 b. Energetically self sufficient ethanol plants in Brazil 8 c. Energy from Ethanol 9 d. Flex-Fuel Vehicles 10 IV. Economic Effects of Ethanol as Bio-Fuel 10 a. Brazil not endangered by a new oil crisis 10 b. Export 12 c. Vertical industries 13 d. Environmental benefits 14 V. Ethical and Social Implications 15 a. A market not dominated by oil barons 15 b. Independent economy 16 VI. Brazil in a global economy and ethanol in the US 18 a. Future of ethanol as bio-fuel in Brazil 18 b. Ethanol in the United States 19 c. E85 21 VII. Conclusion 22 VIII. Works Cited 23 I. Introduction Fuel, at its simplest, makes us go. It is a necessity to modern day life. Even if everyone were to walk, rather than drive, there would be a need for it. This is one thing that is in common around the world. The dependence on oil based gasoline has many of the most powerful countries forking out quite a bit for their fuel. This is, of course, the case in the United States. There is no doubt that this country needs an alternative fuel, or to cut back on its use of the current fuel. However, because we are so dependent at this time on oil based gasoline and other fuels, Americans tend to be a bit hesitant...
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...DMACC THE ETHANOL ENVIORMENT A RESEARCH PAPER SUBBMITTED TO MR. JEFF WILLIAMS INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS PHI 105 BE BOONE, IA NOVEMBER 17, 2014 Abstract Ethanol is a renewable resource that is produced from many agricultural products. The public attitude towards corn based ethanol is influenced by many different subjects like, the effects of production on the environment, the effects on local economies, and the effects on the national food prices. Focusing on corn based ethanol there are considerations to take into effect such as the benefits of ethanol, the problems or concerns with ethanol, the political involvement with ethanol, and the effect of ethanol on the economy. The Ethanol Environment Ethanol is a renewable resource that is produced from many agricultural products such as corn, which can be blended into many different proportions of gasoline. The public attitude towards corn based ethanol is influenced by many different subjects. The overall plan for ethanol was good but took a wrong turn and has caused damage as a result. As stated by Michelle Heath, “there are no known environmental hazards that have to do with ethanol.” Ethanol does not only make our vehicles friendlier to the environmental it also has other impacts. Considering our total energy use, including building, heating and electricity, the savings from the use of biofuels is two-thirds greater than using gasoline (Dewsbury, 2009). With the increased...
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...for 85 percent ethanol (which is an alcohol) and 15 percent gasoline ranges from 100-105 octane. It has been around for quite some time but has just recently became fairly popular with newer car models. Ethanol was first used during the 1850’s as a lighting fuel, but was quickly put to rest after heavy taxes were placed on ethanol during the civil war. The first Model A in 1908 was powered by gasoline and ethanol, but then ethanol was never used much after that until the late 90’s when it returned. Flex fuel vehicles became quite popular starting in the 90’s and have continued to be produced by car manufactures to date. There are more than 8.5 million flex fuel vehicles on the road in the US, including both cars and trucks. What exactly is E85 you ask? Well E85 is a blend of ethanol and gasoline. E85 is a clean- burning, American made alternative fuel produced from renewable resources, such as starch in field corn. Ethanol is made from US supplies and mixed in US factories which makes us independent from foreign oil need. The ethanol making process is one of the many positive factors to creating a cleaner environment. Ethanol is a clear alcohol that is fermented from the starches created from common crops such as corn. There are two different processes to fermenting the ethanol, dry milling and wet milling. During dry milling, the grain is mixed with water, and then enzymes are added to convert the starch to dextrose. The fermentation process then creates ethanol, carbon dioxide...
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...ANSWERS ABOUT THIS NEW MARKET Presentation T he history of biofuels in Brazil began with pioneering tests carried out between 1905 and 1925 with ethanol. In 1931, the Brazilian Government passed a decree which obliged the mixing of 5% of alcohol in gasoline imported in to the country; seven years later, Decree-Law No. 737 extended the obligation of mixing 5% of alcohol also to gasoline produced within Brazil. In the 60s, the discovery of vast oil reserves in the Middle East lessened the world’s interest in biofuels. However, with the first world oil crisis in 1973, the search for new energy sources restarted. In 1975, Brazil launched the National Alcohol Program (known as Proálcool) – the largest program for the commercial use of biomass for energy purposes in the world. Two years later, Professor Expedito Parente, of the Ceará Federal University, discovered biodiesel made from cotton oil and, in 1980, he registered the first world wide biodiesel patent, now in the public domain. Throughout the world, with the passing of the years and the intermittent energy crises, associated to a greater demand for fossil fuels, new and strong stimuli emerged for the development of production technologies both for ethanol and biodiesel. These two products are starting to have a leading role in the world’s energy matrix and in the international fuel market. Thanks to its climate, geography, vast areas available for cultivating grain and sugar cane and, also, the high technology developed by Petrobras...
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...BEIJING AOJI 6108 Jack (Ba-12-0023) The Relationship between the Price of Petrol, Biofuels, and Food: a case for biofuels NCUK IFY BEIJING AOJI 6108 Jack (Ba-12-0023) Contents Introduction 2 Key terms 2 Graph 1 supply and demand curve 3 Graph 2 food price since 1990 3 Graph 3 wheat future US 4 Main body 4 The influence of the price of petrol on biofuels in long-term 4 Graph 4 America bio-ethanol output 5 The subsequent effect on food price 5 Graph 5 percentage of main biofuel production country 5 Table 1 Wheat production and consumption 7 Discussion 9 Evaluation 9 Graph 6 China food price 10 Conclusion 11 References 11 Introduction This essay will reveal the relationship between price of petrol, biofuels and food; and use evidence to proof...
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...The Brazilian Ethanol Story IB 403, Section 003 Introduction: Biofuel is one of the newest and largest trends sweeping the world. Gaining interest in countries and economies, governments have announced strong commitments to biofuel programs in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy sources. Although these programs are new to many countries, Brazil has years of experience with sugarcane-based ethanol, creating a success story for others to reference. Currently, Brazil is the largest biofuel market with the United States ringing in a close second. However, Brazil’s ethanol is created from sugarcane while the U.S. uses corn to produce their ethanol. Not only is Brazil’s sugarcane-based ethanol the first renewable fuel to be cost-competitive with transportation fuel, but it is also the most economical compared to its competitors. The ethanol’s efficiency is due to the power of the sugarcane compared to corn as an ethanol feedstock, a perfect climate for sugarcane harvesting, and the large, unskilled, inexpensive labor force in Brazil. In addition, the U.S. uses almost double the amount of land to farm corn to produce ethanol as Brazil uses to harvest sugarcane to produce almost the same volume as ethanol. What is Ethanol? Ethanol is an alcohol fuel distilled from plant materials, such as corn and sugar. Ethanol is the main biofuel for transportation and Brazil is the greatest exporter globally of bioethanol. The sugar and ethanol industry in Brazil...
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...energy put into the manufacture of fuel compared to the amount of energy released when it is burned in a vehicle. This varies by feedstock and according to the assumptions used. Biodiesel made from sunflowers may produce only 0.46 times the input rate of fuel energy.[29] Biodiesel made from soybeans may produce 3.2 times the input rate of fossil fuels.[30] This compares to 0.805 for gasoline and 0.843 for diesel made from petroleum.[31] Biofuels may require higher energy input per unit of BTU energy content produced than fossil fuels: petroleum can be pumped out of the ground and processed more efficiently than biofuels can be grown and processed. However, this is not necessarily a reason to use oil instead of biofuels, nor does it have an impact on the environmental benefits provided by a given biofuel. Studies have been done that calculate energy balances for biofuel production. Some of these show large differences depending on the biomass feedstock used and location.[32] To explain one specific example, a June 17, 2006 editorial in the Wall. St. Journal stated, "The most widely cited research on this subject comes from Cornell's David Pimental and Berkeley's Ted Patzek. They've found that it takes more than a gallon of fossil fuel to make one gallon of ethanol — 29% more. That's because it takes enormous amounts of fossil-fuel energy to grow corn (using fertilizer and irrigation), to transport the crops and then to turn that corn into ethanol."[33] Life cycle assessments of...
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...Chemistry Research Assignment Part A – The Production of Materials: 1. Use available evidence to gather and present data from secondary sources and analyse progress in the recent development and use of a named biopolymer. This analysis should name the specific enzyme(s) used or organism used to synthesise the material and an evaluation of the use or potential use of the polymer produced related to its properties. a) Name a biopolymer (eg. Biopol) outlining how it’s produced. Biopol: Made in the 1960s In an American company. This biopolymer is a PHA and is produced industrially by growing it in tanks with bacteria such as Alcaligenes eutrophus along with a carbon based food source. It is then isolated from the tank to be purified by various methods such as dissolving the PHB in trichloromethane and then removing all its waste to create Biopol. b) Construct a table, relating its uses/possible uses to its properties. Uses Properties related Act as a carrier for slowly releasing insecticides and herbicides and fertilizers Biodegradable – able to break down in the natural environment Use as containers for plastics as well as shampoo containers and cosmetics insoluble in water and relatively high tensile strength Medical applications Biocompatibility and biodegradable Non toxic c) Evaluate the importance of this biopolymer now and its potential for use in the future based on part b. Biopol is quite an important biopolymer as a future resource because firstly, there...
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...The Brazilian Ethanol Story IB 403, Section 003 Introduction: Biofuel is one of the newest and largest trends sweeping the world. Gaining interest in countries and economies, governments have announced strong commitments to biofuel programs in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy sources. Although these programs are new to many countries, Brazil has years of experience with sugarcane-based ethanol, creating a success story for others to reference. Currently, Brazil is the largest biofuel market with the United States ringing in a close second. However, Brazil’s ethanol is created from sugarcane while the U.S. uses corn to produce their ethanol. Not only is Brazil’s sugarcane-based ethanol the first renewable fuel to be cost-competitive with transportation fuel, but it is also the most economical compared to its competitors. The ethanol’s efficiency is due to the power of the sugarcane compared to corn as an ethanol feedstock, a perfect climate for sugarcane harvesting, and the large, unskilled, inexpensive labor force in Brazil. In addition, the U.S. uses almost double the amount of land to farm corn to produce ethanol as Brazil uses to harvest sugarcane to produce almost the same volume as ethanol. What is Ethanol? Ethanol is an alcohol fuel distilled from plant materials, such as corn and sugar. Ethanol is the main biofuel for transportation and Brazil is the greatest exporter globally of bioethanol. The sugar and ethanol industry in Brazil...
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...Received in revised form 13 May 2009 Accepted 14 May 2009 Available online 13 June 2009 It has been widely accepted worldwide that global warming is by far the greatest threat and challenge in the new millennium. In order to stop global warming and to promote sustainable development, renewable energy is a perfect solution to achieve both targets. Presently million hectares of land in Malaysia is occupied with oil palm plantation generating huge quantities of biomass. In this context, biomass from oil palm industries appears to be a very promising alternative as a source of raw materials including renewable energy in Malaysia. Thus, this paper aims to present current scenario of biomass in Malaysia covering issues on availability and sustainability of feedstock as well as current and possible utilization of oil palm biomass. This paper will also discuss feasibility of some biomass conversion technologies and some ongoing projects in Malaysia related to utilization of oil palm biomass as a source of renewable energy. Based on the findings presented, it is definitely clear that Malaysia has position herself in the right path to utilize biomass as a source of renewable energy and this can act as an example to other countries in the world that has huge biomass feedstock. Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Biomass conversion technology Cellulose feedstock...
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...other than fossil fuels. Automobiles in the last 10 years have evolved from using gasoline and diesel as a primary power source, and now include features once only seen in luxury cars. Introducing them to a rental car company may give it more of a variety to offer its customers. Introduction This paper is to introduce the idea of the integration of alternate-fueled vehicles into the Lotus Rental Car Company and the feasibility to do so to the Chief Financial Officer. There are numerous factors to consider. A large purchase, especially for vehicles, requires in-depth research and weighing of advantages and disadvantages that need to be evaluated. Alternate Fuel Sources There are a few power source options when looking to buy or lease alternate fueled vehicles; ethanol; flex-fuel; hybrid; electric; and natural gas. Alternate fuel source seem to be attractive for consumers as the high prices for fossil fuels continue to climb. With the purchase of new fuel-saving vehicles in mind, each fuel source will be examined. Each type of fuel does have its own great benefit as well as drawback. Ethanol Ethanol is a fuel that is usually comprised of 10% gasoline and 90% ethanol. The more commonly known mixture is 15% and 85% called E85. Internal combustion engines are able to utilize this type of fuel with modifications made the hose materials used to carry this fuel. Newer vehicles have the capability to utilize E85 and gasoline, known to be called Flex-Fuel vehicles. The...
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...Energy return on investment - which fuels win? http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2013/03/energy-return-on-investment-which-fuels-win/ * 20 Mar 2013, 16:00 * Mat Hope and Ros Donald By Arnold Paul The days of easy to extract fossil fuels are numbered. Companies are using more energy-intensive methods to get to conventional fossil fuels, and turning to harder-to-extract fuels such as shale gas. But do these sources give us a good return on the energy we invest? A new article investigates how assessing this return could help us make decisions about our energy future. The feature in Scientific American compiles a range of sources to look at which energy sources provide the most energy compared the the amount of energy it takes to extract them - called their energy return on investment (EROI). We take a look at the returns different fuels offer - and examine some other considerations to take into account when choosing how to meet energy demand. Energy return on investment Professor Charles Hall, an ecologist at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, developed the concept of EROI to give a common measure for comparing very different fuels. Finding out fuels' EROI means working out how much energy it takes to make the materials usable - like finding oil, drilling the well, pumping it out and refining it - and how much energy you get afterwards. It's a simple equation - you divide the energy output by the energy input. A high EROI means you get a...
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...Bio-fuels: a debatable topic A warm welcome to respected dignitaries and all the participants who are present here today, My name is Swaroop. I’m pursuing M.Sc (ag) extension. I remember that my grandfather used to quote “well done is better than well said” a statement given by Benjamin franklin. Biofuels are they as green as they claim to be? It is well said -yes this fuel has a component of BIO, but is biofuel well doing in meeting all its requirements? Hmm…a debatable topic. As context of my argument, I strongly argue that they are not eco-friendly-when completely relied upon. So what are Biofuels? A biofuel is a fuel that contains energy from geologically recent carbon fixation. These fuels are produced from living organisms. Examples of this carbon fixation occur in plants and microalgae. These fuels are made by a biomass conversion (biomass refers to recently living organisms, most often referring to plants or plant-derived materials). This biomass can be converted to convenient energy containing substances in three different ways: thermal, chemical and biochemical conversion. Biofuels have increased in popularity because of rising oil prices and the need for energy security. This biofuels are 1St and 2nd generation. 1st generation conatins ethanol, biodiesel, vegetable oil mostly. The second generation biofuels are mostly made from the lignocellulosic biomass or woody crops, agricultural residues or waste. Taking a brisk turn towards my argument, There are various...
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