Nick+Briere

An Overview of Ethanol An Alternative to Gasoline History: Although the [|distillation] of ethanol itself (pure alcohol) was first documented during the [|Abbasid Caliphate] (750-1258 BC), [|Ethanol fuel]—using pure alcohol as a fuel source—is often considered a relatively modern concept (E85). However it was first used in the [|combustion] process over 100 years ago as the fuel source in [|Henry Ford’s] first [|Model T] automobile, which was originally designed to run on pure alcohol (ethanol). [|Henry Ford] claimed it was the “fuel of the future”, and indeed he may have been correct (E85). Although ethanol since existed in the shadow of [|gasoline], especially when [|Prohibition] forced the price of ethanol far above that of gasoline, seen as a more powerful and efficient fuel source, ethanol began to emerge again during the late 70’s as a considerable fuel source, especially during the [|Arab Oil Embargo of 1973] (E85), and has since been refined and considered as an ecologically friendly alternative to gasoline.

What is Ethanol? Ethanol, otherwise known as [|ethyl alcohol], is a colorless, flammable, and [|volatile] substance, used to create [|transitional fuel], an alternative to pure gasoline(Public 1). Ethanol fuel is fermented from corn, grains or agricultural waste or it is chemically extracted from ethylene (hydration). [|Antoine Lavoisier] described ethanol as a compound of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and in 1808 [|Nicolas-Théodore d][|e Saussure] determined ethanol’s [|molecular formula], C2H5OH. Fifty years later, [|Archibald Scott Couper] published the [|structural formula] of ethanol, which placed ethanol among the first compounds whose chemical structure had been documented (E85). Its structural formula and basic information can be viewed below. Ethanol Fuel: Although theoretically, pure Ethanol can be used to run [|combustion engines], most cars would require modifications to do so, and efficiency of pure ethanol is 34% lower per energy unit than for gasoline. Consequently, Ethanol is most frequently used as an [|oxygenate] [|additive] for gasoline, the most common mixtures being 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline, and 10% ethanol, and 90% gasoline (Bourne 3). Ethanol is most commonly used and produced in the United States, producing 4.86 billion gallons of corn ethanol a year, and Brazil, producing 3.96 billion gallons of sugarcane ethanol annually.Although Ethanol is frequently considered an alternative to gasoline; in reality the [|ethanol gasoline blends] really will only slightly relieve our [|oil dependence] issues. However the process of distillation (the production of ethanol) is constantly being optimized, and so is the efficiency of ethanol. Statistics on the leading producers of ethanol can be viewed below.

Production of Ethanol There is a multistep process that is used to produce ethanol. The sugars must be [|fermented], the ethanol must be distilled, and finally the final water must be [|dehydrated]. Fermentation Distillation Dehydration
 * In corn sugar is extracted from the starches by using [|enzymes] to convert the starch into sugar
 * Once these sugars are extracted from the starch they can be fermented [|microbially], and this process is how ethanol is made
 * This fermentation only works on sugars which is why the [|starches] must be converted to sugars.
 * The water must be removed in order for ethanol to be used as feul
 * Distillation removes most of the water, but some water remains due to the formation of a [|azeotrope] on ethanol and water
 * Distillation normally removes the water from 96% of the ethanol but remaining 4% is the [|azeotrope]
 * This mixture is unlike [|anhydrous] ethanol in that it cant be used with gasoline
 * [|azeotropic] distillation is the most common of all dehydration techniques
 * [|Benzene] or [|cyclohexane] is added to the [|azeotropic] mixture when these are added to the mixture it releases [|anhydrous] ethanol and a vapor mixture of water and [|benzene]/[|cyclohexane]
 * There are four other [|dehydration processes], but azeotropic distillation is the most common and practical of all techniques media type="youtube" key="59R-NqykoXs" height="285" width="340"media type="youtube" key="j9QQcP_Y1II" height="285" width="340"

Benefits Of Ethanol : Ethanol is one of the greatest and most efficient ways we have to fight [|air pollution]—[|emissions]--from vehicles. Ethanol contains 35% oxygen, which results in more complete fuel combustion, reducing harmful [|tailpipe emissions] (RFA). This is because, when anything burns in the air, molecules in that substance combine with oxygen. Like gasoline, ethanol is made of carbon and hydrogen, but in addition, it contains its own oxygen. When ethanol burns with gasoline, its "extra" oxygen atoms combine with the "extra" carbon atoms to reduce or even in some cases eliminate CO in the exhaust gases(darylscience). Ethanol also displaces the use of toxic gasoline components such as [|benzene], a [|carcinogen]. Ethanol is non-toxic, [|water soluble], and extremely [|biodegradable]. Ethanol is a [|renewable fuel] produced from plants, which absorb carbon dioxide during growth (RFA). Consequently, ** Ethanol reduces tailpipe carbon [|monoxide] emissions by as much as 30%, toxics content by 13%, and tailpipe fine [|particulate matter] emissions by as much as 50%. Ethanol also ** ** reduced CO2-equivalent [|greenhouse gas emissions] by approximately 14 million tons, the equivalent of removing more than 2.1 million cars from America's roadways in 2008 alone(RFA). One of the greater financial attributes of ethanol against gasoline is its low production cost and [|energy balance ratio], which is 61% higher than gasoline, putting it in a positive output level. These facts can be viewed below. To learn more about ethanol and its **** //benefits//, please view the video bel **** ow. **

media type="youtube" key="x-Y08RSDP6s" height="285" width="340" Detriments of Corn Ethanol in USA : There are certain problems with using corn and ethanol since it requires fuel to make the corn in the first place. The most potent of which is the amount of money and energy that must be put in to create the ethanol. It has been found that an acre of U.S. corn can be used to make 328 gallons of ethanol, but planting as well as growing and harvesting of that amount of corn will require at least 140 gallons of [|fossil fuels], in most cases [|petroleum], and that in itself amounts to $347 per acre. Which means $1.05 out of each gallon of ethanol needs to be spent even before the corn even leaves the farm. This may be further increased by the crushing and [|fermentation] of corn at processing plants, all of which consumes energy. The resultant end cost of producing ethanol and using corn can work out to be more expensive than producing petroleum(Go60). Even the most efficient forms of producing gasoline only amounts to a 1:1.3 balance ratio, and even then the pollution caused by production is not taken into account. The ethanol energy ratio isn’t the only problem, only a small portion of the 240 million vehicles on the road today can run with ethanol blends higher than 10%. It can damage engines and [|corrode] automotive pipes, as well as impair some of the most important safety features, especially in older vehicles (WSJ). Lastly, The price of many items in the marketplace incorporating corn will rise. Animal feeds are made primarily from corn. Many candies, soda, and other sugary items are made with corn sugar, or high fructose corn syrup(associated). And that's only a small fraction of products which use corn as a primary component. Corn is used in the making many products in the commercial marketplace. Subsequently, with all of these smaller products competing for the corn crop already, adding Ethanol to the competition will raise the prices of many products dramatically, in many cases hurting the very farmers who have to grow the corn in the first place. ||  Gasoline ||  Corn Ethanol ||  Sugarcane Ethanol || ||  Saudi Arabia- 10.4 Billion gallons ||  US- 4.86 Billion Gallons ||  Brazil- 3.96 Billion Gallons || ||  $1.09 Per Gallon ||  $0.87 Per Gallon || ||  $2.72 per gallon ||  $2.62 Per Gallon || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">$2.92 || || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1 To .805 || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1 To 1.3 || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1 To 8 || || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">$3.03 || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">$3.88 || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">$3.71 || || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 20.4 Ibs/gallon || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 16.2 Ibs/gallon || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9 Ibs/gallon ||
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Leading Producer
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Production Cost || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">$1.45 Per Gallon
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Retail Price (per gallon)
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Energy Balance Ratio- Input: Output
 * Cost To get energy equivalent to a gallon of Gasoline<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> CO2 Emissions

Attributions: Nick Briere: History, What is Ethanol, Benefits/Detriments of Ethanol, tables, MLA formatting, Hyperlinking, Research, Visual placement Alec Malecki: How Ethanol is made, Research, Editing, Revising, Finding visuals (pictures/videos), visual placement

Bibliography Bourne, Joel K. "Green Dreams." __National Geographic__ Oct. 2007: 54-70. "Corn and Ethanol: The Pros and Cons." __Seniors Aging Well, Wisely and Successfully__. 22 Mar. 2009 <http://www.go60.com/articles /ethanol/corn_and_ethanol.html>. "Energy Balance / Life Cycle Inventory for Ethanol, Biodiesel and Petroleum Fuels." __Welcome to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture__. 22 Mar. 2009 <http://www.mda.state.mn.us/renewable/renewablefuels/balance.htm>. "Ethanol." __DarylScience Home Page__. 22 Mar. 2009 <http://www.darylscience.com/Demos/Ethanol.html>. "Ethyl alcohol." __Brittanica.com__. Encyclopedia Brittanica. 22 Mar. 2009. "Everyone Hates Ethanol." __Wall Street Journal__ 16 Mar. 2009: A18. Gable, Scott, and Christine Gable. "What is Ethanol?" __About.com__. 22 Mar. 2009. K., Ethan. "Ethanol Fuel." __EnergyRefuge.com__. 22 Mar. 2009. Krauss, Clifford. "Ethanol." __New York Times__ [New York] 12 Feb. 2009. "The Pros and Cons of Ethanol - Associated Content." __Associated Content - associatedcontent.com__. 22 Mar. 2009 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/314393/the_pros_and_cons_of_ethanol.html?cat=27>. Public. "Ethanol." __Wikipedia__. 22 Mar. 2009 <Wikipedia.com>. __ Table 6.06 __. __Transportation Energy Data Book__. Appedix B ed. Vol. Chapter 6. Okay Ridge National Library: Center for Transportation Analysis. "Top Oil Producers." __Infoplease.com__. Infoplease Database. 22 Mar. 2009.