Ethanol as a fuel

Recently, the issue of alternative fuel sources has come to a forefront. This is especially true when considering fueling our cars, particularly in the face of fluctuating gas prices (in some places it neared $4/gallon!). The potential use of ethanol-based fuel instead of the conventional gasoline fuel for cars is increasingly becoming a popular option among Americans.

The interest in ethanol comes from the growing awareness that we, as consumers, are too heavily dependent on foreign oil reserves. That coupled with a growing concern for the environment has brought ethanol fuel to everyone’s attention. Ethanol is an attractive solution because it decreases greenhouse gas emissions, allows fuel to burn more completely thereby decreasing harmful residual gasoline waste, and is an abundant and renewable source.

Ethanol can be derived from high starch-concentrated foods, such as corn kernels. By fermenting the simple sugars obtained from the kernels, ethanol can be acquired. Cellulosic ethanol is derived from biomass such as waste, wood and paper pulp. The end product of cellulosic and corn-based ethanol is identical (EtOH), but the processes differ greatly. Cellulosic ethanol is obtained from the breakdown of complex carbohydrates which are then fermented into ethanol. The difference between the two concerns the energy input: output ratio of production process: corn ethanol yields only 26% more energy whereas cellulosic ethanol yields almost 80% more.

These are some sites to give you more information on the use of ethanol:

http://grist.org/news/maindish/2006/12/04/biofuels/

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/fuel_economy/ethanol-frequently-asked-questions.html

http://www.gate2biotech.com/green-ethanol-provides-environmental/