What Is Ethanol?

Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is an alternative fuel derived from grain, corn or agricultural waste. Ethanol is created through an extraction from ethylene. This process is called hydration. It is normally used to supplement gasoline.

Pure ethanol is mixed with gasoline for consumption as a source of energy for vehicle operation. In fact, at the moment, it is not sold as a stand-alone fuel. Ethanol is used as a transitional fuel when mixed with gasoline and will eventually start a path to developing a way to use pure alcohol to power cars. The ratio of the ethanol mix or blend varies. E85 (a transitional fuel) has a common blend of 85% ethanol and 15% percent gasoline. The brands most gasoline pumps contain have lower percentages of ethanol. In the U.S., ethanol is added to gasoline to raise the octane level and satisfy requirements set by EPA for oxygenated fuels. This requirement is necessary to reduce smog, which happens often in metropolitan areas. The percentage in regular gasoline is only 10%.

In order for vehicles to use E85, they need be designed as flex-fuel vehicles. This is necessary in order to take advantage of the unique combustion this fuel provides as well as be able to tolerate the corrosion effect of the alcohol.

In Favor Of Ethanol

So what's so great about ethanol?

-Clean burning source of fuel: It reduces vehicle emissions.
-Renewable: Since it is derived from plants, it can be re-grown which makes it renewable.
-Supports local agriculture producers: By using ethanol, local farmers are being supported. It's always good to support your local economy.

Important Factors To Consider

. Corrosion: It can slowly corrode and destroy natural rubber parts of your fuel system.
. Land and labor viability: Requires great amounts of land and labor to grow crop and derive fuel for use.
. Lower energy content than gasoline: BTU (British thermal unit) is a measurement of power or energy. Ethanol contains less energy per gallon that gas. While gas has roughly 114,000 BTUs for every gallon, ethanol's only contains 76,000 BTUs per one gallon. What this means is ethanol yields less fuel mileage depending on the ratio of alcohol to gasoline.

Ethanol Handling And Safety

There is very little likelihood of ethanol exploding, spilling or causing accidents. This is primarily because ethanol is less volatile. In addition, it is not as toxic or dangerous when compared to conventional gasoline. Despite this, it does cause corrosion, especially for vehicles not designed to handle ethanol as an energy source.

Potential for Continued Ethanol Use

It looks like ethanol will be around for a long while. There are ethanol refineries in the developmental stages. Some are under construction at this moment. In general, ethanol is becoming easier to obtain. With a flex fuel vehicle and local fueling stations, it's becoming more and more convenient for wide consumption.

The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Buckeye Technologies Inc. and Myriant Technologies LLC have just announced plans to build a plant to research and demonstrate ways to collect by-products from cellulosic ethanol. The goal is to create environmentally friendly forms of petroleum products. This project was put together to reduce the negative impact on our environment and create a sustainable economy.

Cellulosic ethanol is made from unusable parts of plants. Based on the U.S. Department of Energy, this form of ethanol can reduce gas emissions by 86% when compared to gasoline. Many are looking forward to developing a new source of renewable energy that can help to improve people's lives and reduce dependency on foreign oil and fuels.

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