Ethanol is a versatile chemical compound used for alcoholic beverages and fuel. It is produced from crops like corn and sugar cane, fermented into alcohol, and separated through distillation and dehydration. Ethanol fuel is used as an alternative to gas or blended with gasoline. Its pros and cons are debated, with some arguing it burns cleaner and produces fewer greenhouse gases, while others argue it is less efficient and harmful to developing nations. Ethanol could be a beneficial intermediate step away from non-renewable energy sources.
Ethanol is a chemical compound that can be used for a variety of purposes. For thousands of years it has been used as a base for alcoholic beverages, but a wider purpose has been found since the 20th century. The most common use of ethanol in the modern era is as a fuel.
Ethanol is produced from crops, mainly corn and sugar cane, although barley, potatoes and other crops can be used. The crops are harvested and milled, then put through a process that reduces the cooking of the grain. The wort is then modified to convert the high starch content into sugars, which are then fermented into alcohol. Distillation and dehydration treatments separate the ethanol from the solid mass and remove excess water.
At this point, the concoction is similar to any alcohol fermented from grains, such as whiskey or rum. Laws prohibit ethanol fuel from being drinkable, so additives are thrown into the mix, making it poisonous to drink. The ethanol fuel is now ready to be used as an alternative to gas or to be further blended with gasoline to create an ethanol fuel.
Henry Ford was an early proponent of ethanol fuel; some of his early automotive inventions were intended to run on pure ethanol or ethanol-based fuel blends. Many have proposed ethanol as a viable alternative to evanescent fossil fuel resources, leading to some state and federal incentives aimed at increasing production. However, the use of ethanol as a fuel remains highly controversial, with many believing the costs and production requirements could have potentially devastating results.
Using ethanol as a fuel can work in two separate ways. Some vehicles can be modified to run on pure ethanol, but this is a much less common application and may not be legal in all areas. Typically, ethanol is found as an additive to traditional fuels, often called flex-fuel. In Brazil and the United States, where the use of ethanol as a fuel is the highest in the world, flexible fuels are a much more popular and common option than pure ethanol.
The pros and cons of using ethanol as a fuel are complicated, and experts have yet to reach a real consensus on whether or not it’s a good idea. Proponents of using ethanol as a fuel argue that gasoline blended with ethanol burns cleaner, producing less carbon dioxide and fewer greenhouse gases. However, detractors point out that ethanol contains much less energy than gasoline, making it less efficient and perhaps an even greater cause of greenhouse gas emissions for the same power output.
Detractors also argue that using ethanol as a fuel can be harmful to developing nations. If ethanol production becomes profitable in countries where poverty is rife, rates of malnutrition and hunger could rise as farmers convert farmland to crops for ethanol production rather than food. Some harsh critics of the use of ethanol as a fuel even go so far as to suggest that government-approved subsidies for ethanol crops are in the financial interests of representatives of the Corn Belt states and may honestly not be in the best interests of the people.
The use of ethanol as a fuel will likely remain controversial for many years. As fossil fuel reserves become depleted, however, the growing popularity of ethanol can be very beneficial to humanity as an intermediate step away from non-renewable energy sources. Until complicated technological marvels like hydrogen fuel cells are perfected, ethanol fuel could be the best bet for the environment and the global community.
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