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The unused land is called "set-aside", meaning the farmer is paid to leave it fallow. This was done, from about the early '90s iirc, (1992?) to reduce over-production. All the biofuel plans intend to phase this land in for fuel use.

Sugar -- the high-sugar crops, sugar beet and sugar cane, produce the most ethanol. The cereals need their starch turned to sugar? Traditionally, this is done by malting cereals. You can always add sugar, of course, but that would be introducing yet another energy input.

30 years ago they didn't distinguish between varieties of hemp, and it was freely cultivated (here, at least). I remember a farmer friend baling a field of hemp (like hay) in the heat of the day. He and his eleven-year-old son (who was with him on the tractor) then came to see us laughing their heads off and talking nineteen to the dozen. Pollen in the air, resin all over the place... Really good stuff, in that field.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 03:16:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
All in your mind, me duck.

France has been a major source for the long fibre needed to make banknotes and strong archival paper. If its good for fibre, it ain't good for THC. Unless of course they were supplying other markets...

The EU had a 3 year fibre test program in the late Eighties (I think), in which Finland took part - until the local cops decided that they knew better then the EU.

BTW St Petersburg houses the largest seed repository of hemp in the world.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 04:13:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The hemp in question was under contract with a Spanish buyer for rope-making, hence fibre. But it didn't lack a pleasant measure of THC.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:06:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I assume that ethanol is produced by the ancient method of fermentation in which a living organism - yeast - feeds on sugar or any carbohydrate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation

The more carbohydrates, the more ethanol?

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 04:21:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Basically, yes. Fermentation then distillation. I'm not sure, however, of the chemistry of the production of ethanol from second-generation ligno-cellulosic feedstocks. They can do it, but it's not ready to go on-stream yet.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:09:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
it would be important to have some more detail on the chemistry side of it?

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:19:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
We'd better call in a chemist, then ;)

I don't think it matters from the point of view of EU policy in the immediate. They want to know (or so they say) if they should promote first-generation biofuels more vigorously (this includes making percentages obligatory) and move faster than the 2003 Biofuels Directive stipulated.

I have more to add on this, will probably finish it tomorrow morning.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:28:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This is a bad weekend for chemists ;-)

Even Migu has deserted us, and the Leicester boys are left holding the fort.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:33:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The place is empty. Echoing sounds. Eery.

Wonder where Colman keeps his armagnac?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:42:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I think Sam is sleeping on it.

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:44:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
HELLO Hello HELLO hello hello!

Damn the armagnac, I'm off to bed...it's nearly 01.00 here...

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:48:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hello.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 06:53:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Dear Leader!

Go and have a good holiday and we'll try not to burn the place down while you're gone ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 07:21:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
If I haven't said it already - this is sterling work, me duck!

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:20:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Thanks!
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 05:28:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
BTW Finland is a major innovator in the use of microbes - most paper mills now use outdoor aerated tanks full of microbes to 'digest' the suspended particles in polluted water from the papermaking process.

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jul 8th, 2006 at 04:25:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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