Ask an Expert - Cellulosic Ethanol: is it Energy Efficient?

Bruce Dale, Leader of GLBRC's Improving Biomass Processing area, talks about the age-old discussion of whether cellulosic ethanol is efficient to create.

[@millewes1]

Very good description of a complex question. It is good to see cellulosic ethanol research and production moving forward.

[@Dr_Xyzt]

Essentially, yes. In the big picture, it's our job to decide what's in our best interest as to what energy process we use.
I choose methanol given modern science tools, but fully recognize and accept the similar benefits package of Ethanol.
Henry Ford recognized Ethanol as the better choice, nearly 100 years ago. With Cellulose ethanol, we likely would have never had the greenhouse problem. If humanity ever has a die-off, Cellulose ethanol will be very useful.
-For example, if the big cities were removed, we would have 1/3 the fuel needs of today. I don't want to say we need a die-off, but if we breed people that need X systems and y energy sources to live, without any self control, a die-off is basically guaranteed, I.E. we will do it to ourselves by our own failures.

[@nmhong8289]

The Sugar cane mills and the Palm oil mills are energy sufficient and excessive by themselves including covering energy for fertilizers and farming machinery, as such further downstream of getting cellulosic ethanol is a further net gain in energy which are actually originated from the sun.

[@flatdragonfruit5]

This is a complete non-answer. If you don't want to play games a good start would be to say what part of ethanol production should be excluded from the energy calculation.

[@clifftrewin1505]

this guy is producing a soundbite that evades the issue he is creating a straw man critic