Now we have a US concept similar to the British one on Gizmag not long ago. Will this ever be put into practice or will we have to wait for domed cities,cure for cancer,etc.?
Why has it taken us over a hundred years to find a burning liquid to replace gasoline and diesel? (other than greed and apathy,of course...)

Right on Griffin. Big thumbs up on that one d;-)

I have been touting the benifits of cellulose isobutanol derived from Industrial Hemp for quite a few years now.... Corn is not the answer. Corn can only grow in certain climates. Hemp can grow almost anywhere and has a higher cellulose content. The reason for the push with corn is that big Industrial Agriculture companies have spent sooooo much money on genetically modifying corn that they now have to recoup their expenditures. I repeat: Corn is not the answer!

I am a retired research chemist and followed research in fuels since 1980. My work indicates all the oil imported into the US could be replaced with methanol. Current list price methanol is $1.28 per gallon. It takes about 1.5 gallons methanol to replace one gallon of gasoline. Methanol can be made in the US with domestic feed stocks. Methanol can be made from biomass, coal and natural gas. New methanol plants and a new methanol industry would produce thousands of new high paying jobs and methanol is environmentally clean.
China uses billions of gallons of methanol to replace gasoline. Americans are upset over gasoline prices while China is building methanol plants. To replace gasoline with methanol is a big thing. It is not something that can be done on a small scale and it would require a national effort. Oil companies will not play fair or be passive if a large share of their market is replaced with a new fuel.
Today is a sad day for America. The country that ruled the last century and put a man on the moon can not manufacture a car fuel. In past times Americans would dream big and replacing gasoline is big. China is capable of making the dream happen. The Chinese are doing the hard thing and the smart thing. Americans are acting weak, clueless and helpless.
We can not blame the bozos in Washington for high gas prices. The rich white guys we send to Washington and Nashville do whatever the voters desire. We elect them even when they act weak, clueless and helpless.
Maybe the best way to sum up the real problem with gasoline prices is to say, \"We have met the enemy and the enemy is us.\"
Mike Dyer Cleveland TN

Making isobutanol from corn stalks and leaves instead of ethanol from corn kernels is switching from burning food for humans to burning food for cattle.
Hemp and any other non-food organic material that can be used to make isobutanol would be a better choice. Using food (from any part of the food supply chain) to make fuel is just plain stupid because it makes food more expensive.

Rob Robinson, corn also provides grain for human and livestock consumption. It\'s something that has to be grown anyway and the stover is just going to waste right now. That\'s half of the plant not used for anything at all, just left to rot in the fields. Why not put it to use?

Hemp has so many industrial uses it staggers the mind . . but it is illegal to grow in many states . .

\"Hemp\" legalization is a completely irrational, politically charged issue. Corn stover is not, therefore corn stover will be used.
The political climate in the US during the past 30 years proves that nothing about politics is rational, logical, or makes any kind of economic sense. The political \"right\" clamors about the budget deficit, but the last two administrations to actually balance the budget were \"left,\" Democratic (Johnson, Clinton) while the last two with out-of-control deficits were \"right\" Republican (Reagan, Bush 43). Legalizing hemp production and/or processing for any purpose would require a massive bipartisan legislative effort, and it \"ain\'t happening\" in my lifetime.

another advantage of butanol over ethanol is it doesn\'t attract water , thus avoiding the phase separation that effects our current gasoline. As an avid American Musclecar fan and owner, this makes me happy to know my tank and lines may not be subjected to rust and corrosion.

Really??? What a joke you should be to embarrassed to print this garbage. HEMP!!!