- Ethanol is a renewable fuel. Renewable fuels are fuels that we can make again and again without depleting valuable resources in the earth. Extracting crude oil from the ground depletes resources from the earth’s crust. The crops we use for ethanol, on the other hand, can be grown, harvested, and grown again every year. This means that we can make ethanol this year, next year, and the year after that by growing corn or other crops. By using renewable fuels, we can preserve the resources that are remaining in the earth - but still get the fuel our economy needs.
- Ethanol reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Ethanol contains a higher percentage of oxygen than traditional petroleum-based gasoline. Because of it, Ethanol burns more completely than petroleum-based gasoline, and does not contribute to global warming like burning petroleum-based fuels does. In fact, using ethanol as a motor fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 46%. Using just 10% ethanol in your gas tank reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19%.
- Ethanol does not pollute ground water. Because of ethanol’s chemical structure, ethanol phase separates when it comes into contact with water. This makes it very safe for the environment because ethanol is biodegradable. It also means that ethanol will not pollute ground water like many other potential fuel sources could.
- Ethanol Is Cheaper To Make Than Gasoline. Ethanol costs about 75 per gallon to make. Gasoline cost about $1.60 per gallon to refine. It only costs about $30 to convert a car to be a flex fuel vehicle, but doing it can save hundreds of gallons of fuel per year.
- Ethanol Is Easy To Switch To. Ethanol can use today’s vehicles, today’s fuel distribution infrastructure, and allows us to leverage today’s technologies in order to use these renewable resources. We can blend ethanol with traditional gasoline in grades from E10 to E85. Even hybrid vehicles can run off of ethanol.
- Ethanol supports local farmers. Ethanol is produced in local markets from available renewable resources, such as corn and sugar cane. When you purchase ethanol, your money stays nearby, going to local farmers that produced the crops used and the refineries that produced the fuel. But when you buy gasoline, some of each dollar boosts oil companies’ record profits - and the rest goes overseas.
- Ethanol reduces our dependence on foreign oil. About 45% of all of American oil consumption is used as gasoline fuel for consumer vehicles. By using ethanol as a substitute and/or additive to petroleum-based gasoline, ethanol helps to reduce regional dependence on imported oil and petroleum products. We import millions of barrels of oil and millions of gallons of refined gasoline every day. By switching to ethanol and ethanol blends, we can continue to grow our economy while reducing our addiction to foreign oil.
- Ethanol can be made from nearly anything. Though ethanol was first made decades ago, the technologies used in today’s ethanol industry are still in their infancy. Most of today’s ethanol production is made from corn and sugar. The technology for using waste products, such as unusable portions of crops, to produce cellulosic ethanol is on the horizon - and it will completely revolutionize the way we fuel our cars.
Ethanol-fuelled vehicles could contribute to more illnesses and deaths from respiratory disease than petrol-powered cars and trucks, says US research.
This is because some ethanol blends can increase atmospheric ozone levels, the researchers say, a key ingredient of smog.
If all cars and trucks were replaced by vehicles fuelled by ethanol, deaths related to increased ozone would rise by about 4% in the US, according to the study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
"Our results show that a high blend of ethanol poses an equal or greater risk to public health than [petrol], which already causes significant health damage," says Associate Professor Mark Jacobson, an atmospheric scientist at Stanford University and lead author of the study.
The study raises questions about ethanol, a fuel produced from corn or other crops, which many hope will reduce oil dependency and air pollution.
Jacobson ran computer tests simulating atmospheric conditions in the US in 2020, when ethanol-fuelled cars are expected to be widely available.
His simulation focused on Los Angeles because of its poor air quality and dense population, he says.
He programmed the computer to run air-quality simulations comparing two scenarios: one where all cars, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles are powered by petrol and another where the same fleet is powered by E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol.
"In some parts of the country, E85 significantly increased ozone, a prime ingredient of smog," Jacobson says.
Asthma, weakened immune systems and other health conditions have been linked to even small increases in ozone in the atmosphere.
The World Health Organization estimates that 800,000 people die each year from ozone and other chemicals in smog.
E85 could boost US asthma-related emergency department visits by 770 a year and the number of respiratory-related hospitalisations by 990, the study says.
In Los Angeles, there would be 650 more hospitalisations and 1200 more asthma-related emergency visits in 2020 under the E85 model.
Posts
