Ethanol Technology
By now, you probably heard about ethanol technology and for good reason. Ethanol is a form of alternative fuel that some believe may help solve the gas crisis. This alternative fuel is usually made from natural plant ingredients such as grain. In the USA, ethanol is typically made from corn. In other locations such as Brazil the ethanol fuel can be made from sugarcane. The material being used is dependent on the ecosystem of the particular area producing the ethanol fuel. Fuel made from plant materials is one of the hottest topics for discussion and debate these days because of the growing focus on conserving the environment and making the most of our available resources.
The most common way ethanol is used right now is as part of a mixture. The average ratio is around 85 percent gas and 15 percent ethanol. This blend of gasoline and ethanol can be used in any gas engine. It is often preferable to 100 percent gasoline because it produces less pollution and conserves gasoline. Of course not everything is perfect and that includes this bio-fuel. Ethanol gives less miles to the gallon as compared with gasoline because of its lower energy density. And, it can be harder to start a vehicle in freezing temperatures when using ethanol.
Ethonal is sometimes used to oxygenate gasoline. Before the innovation of ethanol fuel, a chemical abbreviated MTBE served this purpose. The problem with MTBE, or methyl tertbutyl ether, is that it is a hazardous material and is bad for the environment. Luckily ethanol does the same thing without the dangerous downsides. By using ethonal to oxygenate your gasoline, you are boosting the quality of the octane and reducing the level of carbon monoxide produced by your vehicle. These are certainly plus sides to using ethanol because you are helping your vehicle performance along with the world in which you live.
When researching ethanol technology you may come across critics that claim it is not the most efficient process because the energy it takes to make corn into fuel is practically the same as the energy of the fuel itself. One thing to remember is that innovations take place all the time and the process of making ethanol fuel can be improved. Some countries, like Brazil, have already adjusted to ethanol fuel and have as many as 50 percent of their cars using an ethanol gasoline blend and twenty percent using ethanol only. As this technology becomes more efficient and accessible these numbers are expected to rise.
People & Power - Ethanol & Bio-fuels - 17 Sep 07 - Part 1
| Giving ethanol a good name: Advocates tout increase in production, jobs for state The Monroe plant, which employs 50 and is open 24 hours every day of the year, produced 58 million gallons in 2011. Two hudnred trucks visit the plant every day of the week, either hauling corn in or taking ethanol out... | ||
Government should support ethanol production RECENT news that Green Fuel, a pioneering Zimbabwean ethanol processing company, is currently sitting on 8 million litres of ethanol (E10) in their storage facilities due to a slow uptake by the market sounds like irresponsible economic suicide... | ||
Canada ethanol policy hurts livestock farmers: report WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Ethanol production has boosted the prices of grains that Canadian farmers buy to raise cattle and pigs, and Ottawa should curb or eliminate its support for the industry, an agriculture research organization said on Tuesday. But a leading biofuels group said the report wildly overstated ethanol's impact on grain prices. ... | ||
US looks ahead after ethanol subsidy expires After a series of bitter political fights, the US Congress allowed a subsidy for ethanol fuel to expire at the end of 2011, ending a program harshly criticized by environmentalists and others... | ||
The cost of ethanol - Financial Post
| ||
Is Cellulosic Ethanol The Loch Ness Monster Of Biofuel? It was one of those "blink and you miss it" things. In June of last year, Congress formerly repealed the nation's ethanol subsidies in a bipartisan vote that raised few eyebrows and generated only a handful of news reports... | ||
Record ethanol production helps Iowa economy SHELL ROCK --- Ethanol plants statewide produced a record amount of fuel last year, pumping up Iowas economy, according to a report released this past week... | ||
Ethanol Supply Climbs while Gasoline Demand Sputters Spot ethanol stocks continue build for a sixth consecutive week to 6 1/2-month high... | ||
Technorati Tags: Ethanol Fuels, Ethanol Technology, Ethanol Technology

