In the vigor manufacture , the need for alteration is no longer disputable . Beyond the danger of complete dependence on foreignoilwhen both global politics andgas pricesare more volatile than ever , the environmental impact of burning millions of gal of fossil fuel faster than we can say " greenhouse gases " is beginning to sink into the general consciousness . So what ’s the answer ? Some say it’shydrogen , which is a superb choice but ultimately raise some complex questions about safety gadget . Others point to natural resources likesunlightandwind . Parts of the renewable - energy industriousness are pretty keen on ethanol , as well – how can you argue with the wisdom of power our cars withbountiful corn ?

Apparently , you may fence with it , and many people are . First , a agile priming on what ethanol is and how it ’s made .

Ethanol isgrain alcohol . In the United States , it ’s usually made fromcorn . In Brazil , it ’s most normally made with sugarcane . Wheat , barley and spud are also seed of fermentation alcohol .

There are a couple of ways to make fuel - class ethanol , and one of the most common 1 is thedry - John Mill method , which goes something like this :

Byproducts of this process , including ­distiller ’s grain and carbon dioxide , are useful in the farming and ranching industries and may be sell by the ethanol - manufacturing plant for various purposes . But according to many expert in Department of Agriculture , making fermentation alcohol a major histrion in the fuel industry has serious drawbacks .

In this clause , we ’ll look at what make ethanol a potentially good root of clean push – and find out why some the great unwashed think this potential is special .

Ethanol Controversy

In its current status as a low - percentage fuel additive , the benefits of ethanol are obvious . Since ethanol hold a lot of O in its chemical bodily structure , it glow pretty flawlessly . total in small amount of money ( typically one part ethanol , nine partsgasoline ) to the gasoline that fuels ourcars , it reducesgreenhouseemissions likecarbon monoxideand nitrogen oxides . Argonne National Laboratory report an rough 10 - long ton ( 9.07 - metric ton ) reduction in glasshouse - gas pedal discharge result from the use of ethanol fuel in 2007 alone [ origin : Biofuels Digest ] . A 2006 study in Wisconsin showed 16 percentage few high - ozone day since the 1994 institution of 10 - 90 fuel [ source : Ethanol ] .

The addition of ethanol to the fuel intermixture also reduce the amount of gasolene we consume when we drive , and any car can operate on this 10 - 90 ethanol mix ( called E10 ) . The 85 - 15 ethyl alcohol mix ( called E85 ) that only fuel extra elastic fuel vehicles ( FFVs ) burn even more cleanly , further reduce the release of harmful gases into the atmosphere that can have air and urine contamination , spheric warmingandsmog . But only a relative handful of vehicle can run on this mix – one in 40 car as of 2006 [ source : Joyce ] . It ’s not commonly stocked in gasoline stations .

The problem with using grain alcohol as fuel in a heavy - graduated table direction comes down to two primary , related to issues :

While most expert agree on these two points , they be given to differ in terms of level .

According to Cornell University professor of agriculture David Pimentel , producing grain alcohol actually creates a net energy exit . fit in to his computation , grow corn and processing it into 1 gallon ( 3.7 liter ) of fermentation alcohol want 131,000 British thermal unit of get-up-and-go ; but 1 gal of ethanol contains only 77,000 British thermal unit [ source : Health and Energy ] . And since granger are using fogy - fuel - powered equipment to plant , maintain and harvest the corn and are using fossil - fuel - powered machinery to process that edible corn into grain alcohol and then , in almost all cases , to ship the product to aggregation point via fuel - power transport , the ethanol industriousness is really burning large sum of gasolene to produce this substitute fuel . That fermentation alcohol could end up containing less DOE than the gasoline consumed to produce it .

The transport look of the process could change presently , though , with the scuttle of the very first U.S. ethyl alcohol pipeline in December 2008 . It carries ethanol 85 miles ( 136 kilometers ) through Florida from Tampa to Orlando . Piping ethyl alcohol has always been a trouble because the fuel nibble up impurities on the style from item A to manoeuvre B. These impurities are impossible in ethyl alcohol and can damage traditional gas line cloth . But the Texas party that developed the pipeline appears to have overcome the challenges [ source : Galbraith ] .

Of course that ’s just one pipeline . Even so , not all scientist agree with Pimentel ’s desperate analysis regarding energy efficiency . ­The U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab find oneself that it demand 1 BTU of fossil fuel to get 1.3 British thermal unit of ethanol to marketplace [ author : NREL ] . That would think of a 30 percent final gain in energy , not a nett loss .

Energy efficiency aside , those in Pimentel ’s camp actually do n’t see corn as a truly renewable energy source . Pimentel estimates that power a railcar for a single year using ethanol would expect 11 acres ( 44,515 square meters ) of corn , place that can be used to feed at least seven masses [ source : Health and Energy ] . Since corn subject field in the United States take a while to replenish themselves , due to both soil erosion and irrigation proceeds , those acres would ultimately be out of perpetration for an extended period of fourth dimension , meaning no corn for ethyl alcohol and no usable land for other food crops . To sustain an ethyl alcohol - base fuel diligence , more and more farm farming would have to be set away for corn alone . The ultimate consequence could be a shortfall of domestically grownfoodand higher Price at the supermarket for all sorts of produce .

One possible answer to the fermentation alcohol controversy is something calledcellulosic ethanol . Cellulosic fermentation alcohol is made from nonfood products such as corn stalks , wood chips andswitchgrass . If this tiny niche of the ethanol industry develop into a large enough producer , cellulosic grain alcohol could prove to be a viable , low - price compromise in the ethanol versus gasolene debate .

For more information on grain alcohol and other renewable - energy options , look over the links on the next varlet .

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