"Alternative Fuels May Boost Pollution"

Carcharodon · Nov 13, 2007

Alternative fuels may boost pollution: report

Tue Nov 13, 4:25 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Some alternative vehicle fuels such as liquid coal can cause more harmful greenhouse gas emissions than polluters such as petrol or diesel, scientists warned in a US study released Tuesday.

"Liquid coal, for example, can produce 80 percent more global warming pollution than gasoline," said the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit environmental group, in a statement introducing its study.

Liquid coal is viewed as a potential replacement to the oil on which countries rely heavily to fuel vehicles.

"Corn ethanol, conversely, could be either more polluting or less than gasoline depending on how the corn is grown and the ethanol is produced," the report said.

The analysis was based on replacing a fifth of all gasoline consumed in the United States with alternative fuels by 2030.

If most of these alternatives consist of liquid coal, the change could pump pollution into the atmosphere equivalent to 34 million more cars on the road. Favoring cleaner "advanced biofuels," on the other hand, could cut harmful gases by a similar amount.

The cleanest alternative, the report said, is cellulosic ethanol, made from grass or wood chips -- it could cut emissions by more than 85 percent.

"We need to wean ourselves off oil, but we should replace it with the cleanest alternatives possible," said the author of the study, Patricia Monahan, in the report. "Let's not trade one bad habit for another."
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Duh? Something with the name, "Liquid coal," was expected to somehow reduce emissions?

Obi-Ron · Nov 13, 2007

This story is just a ruse to stop people from tearing their eyes from sweet, sweet oil.

Carcharodon · Nov 13, 2007

Obi-Ron said: ↑

This story is just a ruse to stop people from tearing their eyes from sweet, sweet oil.
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No, actually, it has complete merrit. It was just written by Captain Obvious.

Addendum · Nov 13, 2007

The new fuels, excluding liquid coal, all sound like they could work. But converting the current plants to use them, or having to build new plants to use the new fuels produce more pollution.

Once that's in place, then the real savings in pollution happen. Everyone will probably be dead by then but it's the thought that counts.

Mr Sparkle · Nov 13, 2007

Wall_Crawler_2003 said: ↑

No, actually, it has complete merrit. It was just written by Captain Obvious.
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like Stephen Merrit?

Kritish · Nov 14, 2007

It's not like anyone was taking liquid coal seriously.

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