Muslim cleric decries biofuels as sinful

Okay, first, let's get something straight, Ethanol IS ethyl alcohol. It's a chemical shorthand. Similarly, Methanol is methyl alcohol, and Isopropanol is Isopropyl alcohol.

Second, Biofuels are NOT the only source of ethanol. Let's not forget the plant forefathers of petrol oil. All crude oil has a small percentage of ethanol which can be separated by fractional distillation.

Third, Islam does not distinguish alcohols. A huge variety of chemicals fall under the alcohol moniker, many of which have nothing to do with drunkenness.

I think it should be perfectly acceptable for Muslims to use alcohol as a source of fuel. The Islamic ban on alcohol pertains to drunkenness, not industrial uses of alcohol. If Islamic clerics have concerns about biofuels, it should deal with the way some farmers in the developing world are forced to grow crops for fuel rather than food.

GOOD ...... This should prompt the Arab states to look to Biochar biofuels

Biochar Soil Technology.....Husbandry of whole new orders of life

Biotic Carbon, the carbon transformed by life, should never be combusted, oxidized and destroyed. It deserves more respect, reverence even, and understanding to use it back to the soil where 2/3 of excess atmospheric carbon originally came from.

We all know we are carbon-centered life, we seldom think about the complex web of recycled bio-carbon which is the true center of life. A cradle to cradle, mutually co-evolved biosphere reaching into every crack and crevice on Earth.

It's hard for most to revere microbes and fungus, but from our toes to our gums (onward), their balanced ecology is our health. The greater earth and soils are just as dependent, at much longer time scales. Our farming for over 10,000 years has been responsible for 2/3rds of our excess greenhouse gases. This soil carbon, converted to carbon dioxide, Methane & Nitrous oxide began a slow stable warming that now accelerates with burning of fossil fuel.

Wise Land management; Organic farming and afforestation can build back our soil carbon,

Biochar allows the soil food web to build much more recalcitrant organic carbon, ( living biomass & Glomalins) in addition to the carbon in the biochar.

Biochar, the modern version of an ancient Amazonian agricultural practice called Terra Preta (black earth, TP), is gaining widespread credibility as a way to address world hunger, climate change, rural poverty, deforestation, and energy shortages… SIMULTANEOUSLY!
Modern Pyrolysis of biomass is a process for Carbon Negative Bio fuels, massive Carbon sequestration,10X Lower Methane & N2O soil emissions, and 3X Fertility Too.
Every 1 ton of Biomass yields 1/3 ton Charcoal for soil Sequestration, Bio-Gas & Bio-oil fuels, so is a totally virtuous, carbon negative energy cycle.

Biochar viewed as soil Infrastructure; The old saw, "Feed the Soil Not the Plants" becomes "Feed, Cloth and House the Soil, utilities included !". Free Carbon Condominiums, build it and they will come.
As one microbologist said on the TP list; "Microbes like to sit down when they eat". By setting this table we expand husbandry to whole new orders of life.

Senator / Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar has done the most to nurse this biofuels system in his Biochar provisions in the 07 & 08 farm bill,

http://www.biochar-international.org/newinformationevents/newlegislation.html

Charles Mann ("1491") in the Sept. National Geographic has a wonderful soils article which places Terra Preta / Biochar soils center stage.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-text

Biochar data base;

http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/?q=node

NASA's Dr. James Hansen Global warming solutions paper and letter to the G-8 conference, placing Biochar / Land management the central technology for carbon negative energy systems.

http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0804/0804.1126.pdf

The many new university programs & field studies, in temperate soils; Cornell, ISU, U of H, U of GA, Virginia Tech, JMU, New Zealand and Australia.

Glomalin's role in soil tilth, fertility & basis for the soil food web in Terra Preta soils.

UNCCD Submission to Climate Change/UNFCCC AWG-LCA 5
"Account carbon contained in soils and the importance of biochar (charcoal) in replenishing soil carbon pools, restoring soil fertility and enhancing the sequestration of CO2."
http://www.unccd.int/publicinfo/AWGLCA5/menu.php

This new Congressional Research Service report (by analyst Kelsi Bracmort) is the best short summary I have seen so far - both technical and policy oriented.
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40186_20090203.pdf .

Hmm I wonder if the fuel from animal fat will also be considered haram. Check out the following link:

http://mukalma.blogspot.com/2009/02/animal-fat-to-fuel.html

If you use bio-fuel in car, will the car get drunk. Let's not distort religious pronouncements. Let's think with open mind and read/ practice religion with openness. Ban on alcohol in Islam is in context with drunkenness not for industrial use. Moreover, latest developments in society, e.g. invention of bio-fuels have to be seen positively. Religion is ever evolving in tune with changing times. Else howsoever good it may be today, it will get wiped off, if it does not evolve with times.

More funding needs to be provided for research into economically viable bio-butanol manufacture, especially from non-food sources, such as algae and paper pulp. Butanol is non-corrosive, unlike ethanol, so it can be substituted for gasoline, 1:1, and can utilize our existing gasoline distribution systems, as well as our existing gasoline powered vehicles. As a bonus, bio-butanol manufacture can utilize the same processing equipment as ethanol, and the same feedstock. It is also much less evaporative than ethanol, leading to less volatile organic compound production (meaning less smog) than ethanol or gasoline; and it is hydrophobic, meaning it will not absorb water (that's good for your engine).

Also, you don't get drunk from drinking butanol, since it's a poison -- you simply die.

which would include buying, selling, transporting, drinking, serving and manufacturing.... for the purposes direct consumption...FYI

Someone needs to reign in such Nutbags.

Hmmmm, sounds like someone is afraid that his people will be left without a cash cow if petroleum loses its biggest buyers. They may decry Western decadance and consumerism, but they sure don't want it to go away either!

another example of how the so called religious experts twist the meaning of scriptures to their own liking. I do not think the prophet would have objected to running cars on alcohol had the technology been available in those days. It requires only common sense to understand that the prophet was concerned about the bad effects of drinking alcohol and not use it in any other positive way like keeping the earth green.

alchohol runs cars better than people, I think He was trying to say.