Bio-ethanol, is it 'carbon neutral'?

Subject: Bio-ethanol, is it 'carbon neutral'?

Date: Tue Apr 17 14:34:10 2007
Posted by No name entered.
Grade level: 10-12 School: No school entered.
City: No city entered. State/Province: No state entered. Country: No country entered.
Area of science: Biochemistry
ID: 1176845650.Bc

Message:


My team and i are experimenting with bioethanol for fuel, made from sugar 
beet, and have come across a problem. If the sugar beet absorbs carbon dioxide 
from the atmosphere, then it cancels out the carbon dioxide released when the 
ethanol is burnt, right? But what about the carbon dioxide released by the 
anearobic resperation (fermentation) needed to get the ethonal from sugar 
(from sugar beet) and yeast? Does the sugar beet absorb enough carbon dioxide 
to cancel out both releases of carbon dioxide, or is bioethonal really carbon 
neutral?

Re: Bio-ethanol, is it 'carbon neutral'?

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