I've heard/read that making ethanol from corn either does not save oil at all, or it saves oil a little but results in more CO2 release than just burning plain gasoline. If Jane's fields dry out, I've heard she is liable to make some money...even if she does not grow corn (because a shift to corn elsewhere wil/has raise(d) wheat prices). I'd like to know if anyone has read anything semi-scientific on this. I've heard that more petroleum is burned raising the corn/getting it to the still than is saved. I've heard that maybe/maybe not your mileage is worse with 10% ethanol. If using ethanol produces more energy than it consumes, that is a good thing for oil supplies. But, I imagine that burning ethanol produces CO2. I'm guessing it produces less CO2 than oil (but neither know this nor understand this: chemistry and geochemistry were my worst classes...when grad school saw my "D" in chemistry they made me take geochemistry...which almost finished me off). But, does the CO2 produced by tractors/harvesters plus the CO2 given off by burning ethanol (combined) exceed the CO2 given off by just burning gas? This is actually important.
Chris