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What is ethanol? Ethanol is
alcohol made from grain (kind of like moonshine) and is mixed
with gasoline to power the flex fuel vehicles on the road
today. The reason it's mixed is because ethanol alone
isn't explosive enough to start an engine on a cold day.
It's needs a little help, hence the E85 mixture. What
E85 means is that the fuel is comprised of 85% ethanol and 15%
gas.
While ethanol is not a fossil fuel and
is renewable, it is not a completely clean energy source. In the
process of making ethanol and in the use of ethanol,
greenhouse gases are emitted which directly affect global
warming. While it can be argued that in spite of this,
since vehicles use less gas to run, E85 would help reduce our dependence on foreign
oil. This may be true, but the savings isn't as much as we would
think when you take into consideration the vehicles that run on ethanol
get lower gas mileage versus those that run on gasoline only.
E85 vehicles must be refueled more often,
which uses more gas which emits more greenhouse gas.
Granted, the use of ethanol decreases the overall amount of
gas used, which decreases of greenhouse gases, but they are
still emitted. When you factor in the gases that are
emitted during the process to make ethanol, that figure goes
up even more. It is said that if ethanol "factories" are
placed near forests, the trees would absorb the CO2
emissions, which would then reduce the amount released into
the atmosphere. Sound confusing? It can be!
Let's see what the government has to say about E85.
What
does the U.S. Department of Energy (Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE))
say about E85's benefits1?
-
"E85 is easy
to use and handle
- E85 fueling equipment is slightly different and of
similar cost to equipment used to store and dispense
petroleum fuels. In some cases, it may be possible to
convert your existing petroleum equipment to handle E85.
-
Using E85
reduces petroleum consumption
- Use of E85 will reduce a fleet's overall use of
petroleum and replace it with a renewable-based fuel
produced ("grown") in the United States.
-
E85 is good
for the environment
- Beyond operational ease, E85 offers considerable
environmental benefits.
-
Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) are
available and affordable -
FFVs specifically designed to run on E85 are becoming
more common each model year, and FFVs are typically
available as standard equipment with little or no
incremental cost.
See the current model year FFVs.
-
FFVs have
flexible fueling options
- FFVs may operate on gasoline, and, in fact, most of the
4 million FFVs on US roadways do today. Although that is not
a positive from an E85-use standpoint, it does underscore
the flexibility FFVs offer fleets. When E85 is not
available, or an FFV travels outside the fueling network, a
driver may simply fuel with either fuel as the situation
dictates."
What
does the EERE say about E85's affect on the environment2?
"E85 is
a fuel, and its combustion within an engine creates exhaust
emissions similar to those of other fuels. However, the use of
E85 can reduce tailpipe emissions; can pose less of an
evaporative emissions source than other liquid transportation
fuels because of its low Reid vapor pressure; and, as a
biofuel, E85 use can result in lower fuel life-cycle emissions
of greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide). The
positive effects include:
-
Reduced
ozone-forming and greenhouse gas toxic tailpipe emissions.
-
Reduced fuel
life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide).
Depending on the feedstocks and production methods employed
and the vehicle technologies used, these estimates range
from reductions nearing 30% to greater than 100%.
-
It is primarily composed of ethyl
alcohol (ethanol), which is derived from renewable
resources. Today, the
primary feedstock for U.S. ethanol production is the starch
found in corn. Other renewable feedstocks include cheese
whey, an assortment of grains, and wood wastes. Sugarcane is
the primary feedstock used in Brazilian ethanol production.
Cellulose-to-ethanol conversion technologies are in
development.
-
Ethanol is
biodegradable and much less of a spill threat to surface and
ground water than petroleum spills."
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