Ethanol, or grain alcohol, is produced by fermenting biomass, commonly corn or sugarcane (though other, lower-value feedstocks have been tested in an effort to reduce costs, like brewery waste and cheese-factory effluent). It is thus inherently a renewable resource, and contributes nothing in itself to greenhouse-gas loading of the atmosphere (and with efficient modern farming techniques, there’s still an improvement even when you add in the petroleum-based fuel burned to plow the fields, make the fertilizer, etc.). As an alternative motor vehicle fuel, it is usually blended in a mixture of 85% ethanol, 15% unleaded gasoline, hence E85. (It is also used in up to 10% blends with gasoline (gasohol) to oxygenate the gasoline, and this mixture can be used by most modern gasoline vehicles.)  There are starting to be a fair number of E85 outlets, mostly in the Midwest (where the crops from which ethanol is made are grown).

Advantages

• Ethanol is a renewable resource that produces 60% less emissions than gas.
• Ethanol will work within our existing pump infrastructure
• Ethanol is non-toxic, water soluble, and biodegradable, making it safer for the environment
• The only difference in customer habits is that the customer must find a specialty ethanol fuel station

Disadvantages

• Ethanol is somewhat corrosive, though less so than methanol, and concerns exist about vapor lock, cold starts, and flame visibility
• Food for Fuel – there is a concern that producing fuel on farm land which would otherwise be used for food producing represents a conflict of interests
• Infrastructure – A general lack of investment and growth have made it difficult to add more ethanol fuel stations around the country
• Public Awareness – Around half of the flex-fuel vehicles in this country aren’t using ethanol blends, and many drivers have no idea what ethanol is or how it can be used

To Learn More About Renewable Energy Checkout the Literature/Educational Books from our Online Store!