Ethanol Fuel Pros and Cons

The use of Ethanol as fuel was first seen in Henry Ford's 'Ford Model T' automobile from the year 1908 onwards, but it was later replaced by petroleum and gasoline. It regained popularity towards the late 20th century and ethanol production in various countries gained momentum. Ethanol was first used by Henry Ford in its pure anhydrous form whereas nowadays, it is mostly used as a fuel additive. Although it does seem to have a good chance of being used as an alternative energy source, there is still a raging debate on the the importance of the role of ethanol as a fuel and the pros and cons of using it. But before we look at ethanol fuel pros and cons, let's take a quick look at some important facts about ethanol.

Ethanol Fuel Facts

• Some other names by which ethanol is known are - Ethyl hydrate, Ethyl hydroxide, Fermentation Alcohol, Molasses Alcohol and spirit.
• The molecular formula of ethanol is C₂H₅OH and the empirical formula is C₂H₆O.
• In its normal physical state, it is a clear colorless liquid, with a mild odor, is highly volatile and burns with an almost invisible, smokeless blue flame.
• At present, ethanol production for large scale use as a biofuel is done by the process of microbial fermentation of plant sugars, which is followed by distillation and dehydration. The plant materials used are sugarcane, corn, bagasse, sunflower, cassava and other biomass.
• Earlier, it was produced using ethylene, where addition of water converts ethylene to ethyl alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst. The ethylene for this process was a byproduct of the petroleum purification process.
• It is added to fuel in varying percentages, with a new fuel mixture called E85, that contains up to 85% ethanol as compared to gasoline.
• As you may also know, ethanol or ethyl alcohol, is actually the intoxicating substance that is commonly found in alcoholic beverages.

Ethanol Fuel - Pros

• It is a renewable energy source, as it uses sunlight or solar energy to produce the raw materials or green plants, which can then be used to produce ethanol. There are also some companies, which are working to bypass the steps of harvesting plant crops and then fermenting them, by using algae, which directly produce ethanol, when exposed to the sun. Thus, these methods could be used to create a sustainable energy source, in the form of ethanol.
• Ethanol as a fuel additive in small percentages along with gasoline, has helped reduce the emissions of various toxic volatile gases and particulate matter.

Ethanol Fuel - Cons

• There are many detractors of the ethanol industry, who argue that there are a number of ethanol fuel problems that overshadow its benefits. They say that reduction in the fuel efficiency of engines, is just one of the ethanol fuel problems in cars. Use of ethanol also leads to long term corrosion of engines, thus permanently damaging the vehicle.
• There have also been instances of ethanol fuel problems for boaters, who say that switching to ethanol causes fiberglass fuel tank corrosion, blocking of the filters and increased contamination.
• Researchers are still divided on the claims of reduced emission levels in cars with some argue that ethanol fuel, especially ones with higher ratio of ethanol to gasoline such as E85 are even more polluting than gasoline fuels.
• The prices of ethanol based fuel are also a cause of concern as they can be more expensive than ordinary fuel and do not deliver the same number of miles for every gallon.
• A great number of scientists also question the use of food crops to create fuel, when a great majority of the world population, especially in undeveloped countries still face a shortage of food.

This was an overview of ethanol fuel pros and cons. In the search of an efficient and renewable source of energy, to sustain and drive our fuel dependent world, ethanol does show a fair amount of promise as an alternative fuel. It has shown that plant, biomass or other waste material can be used to produce sustainable energy. The research on finding alternative methods of producing ethanol or other such fuels should continue. Maybe in future, we could also redesign engines and machines to run efficiently on renewable fuels such as ethanol, thus reducing our dependence on non renewable sources of energy.