03-26-2008, 05:24 AM
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Killjoy
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Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hybrids: 2007 HCH-II
Posts: 419
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Re: A study says that ethanol is worse than gasoline for the environment
Corn-Based Biofuels Spell Death for Gulf of Mexico
Quote:
Corn, however, is almost universally regarded as an environmentally unfriendly crop that compares poorly to other biofuel sources and requires enormous quantities of fertilizers and pesticides to grow.
But in the United States, corn is king, and a combination of early adoption and agro-industry lobbying made it the most common plant-based fuel. If that trend continues, say sustainability scientists Simon Donner and Christopher Kucharik, fertilizer pollution will expand an oxygen-starved region in the Gulf of Mexico, spelling doom for crustaceans, fish and the people whose livelihoods depend on catching them.
Caused by oxygen-gobbling algae that feed on nitrogen-rich fertilizers carried from farms, down the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers and into the Gulf, the dead zone already covers a New Jersey-sized 7700 square miles each summer. This has hurt the Gulf's $2.9 billion recreational and commercial fishing industry, which depends on species who spend part of their lives in areas that can no longer sustain life.
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http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2...ased-biof.html
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