stephanie a asked:
any ideas?please.
Tags: Ethanol Fuel, Pros And Cons, Pros Cons
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on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 1:43 am and is filed under alcohol fuels.
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August 20th, 2008 at 8:43 am
pro of ethanol fuel
is the cleaner burning fuel.
Cheaper then oil.
Con’s
takes away from the food supply
makes the cost of food go up.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Well let’s see…..ethanol is clean, renewable, and using it helps stimulate our economy and creates jobs. It cleans up our air, reduces the trade deficit, puts Americans to work, and keeps money out of the hands of terrorists. But I suppose none of those things(lousy economy, terrorism, global warming) are issues which are really relevant today? Right? God forbid we help the environment, crack down on terrorism, or help our own slumping economy. The big oil companies have been spreading lies left and right about ethanol because they feel threatened.
A big myth is that more fossil fuels are used to make ethanol than the energy it yields. This is dead wrong. Ethanol is now being made with almost an infinitely positive net yield via wind power and combustion of waste biomass from the beef industry. Ethanol is being produced with ZERO fossil fuels used in the process. Read that again—ZERO FOSSIL FUELS are being used to make ethanol. Here are the links to prove it:
More Biofuel Myths
Myth: Biofuels provide less energy than it takes to make them.
One (and only one) obsolete study done over 20 years ago—in the 1980s—showed a negative energy balance, which the media sometimes quote. Since then, technology and crop yields have improved tremendously. Many studies prove that ethanol provides about 1.5 units of energy for every unit of energy used.
Biodiesel is even higher: 3.2 to 1. What oil companies don’t want you to know is that gasoline takes 20 percent more energy to make than it provides.
Myth: Biofuels drive up food prices.
Corn and soy bean prices have gone up—primarily because of speculators, not Biofuel producers, increasing the cost of a chicken sandwich by about 7 cents. However, high petroleum prices have driven up food prices far more! About 20% of America’s corn crop goes to produce ethanol, which accounts for about 5% of our motor fuel. After the liquid starch is extracted, the remaining product is still be used for feed and fiber. That’s why a third of all the corn grown in the U.S. is still exported! We can easily increase our ethanol production to 15% of our gasoline needs without threatening our food supply. Beyond that, we will need to develop new feedstocks, such as wood and fibrous plants. Research in these areas is well underway.
Myth: Biofuels get worse fuel mileage.
We have been using Biodiesel for over 6 years now. Nearly all of our distributors have seen a 1% to 5% improvementin fuel economy due to better lubricity, higher cetane levels and oxygen content.
Ethanol blends up to 10% have negligible effect on fuel mileage. While high blends of ethanol (such as E85, 85% ethanol) can reduce fuel mileage slightly, ethanol, at 110 octane, provides more power. With proper tuning, engines can reach comparable mileage. In fact in Europe, which has already adopted Biofuels, the same manufacturers sell models in Europe to run on ethanol that get the same mileage as those they sell to run on gasoline in the U.S.
Myth: Vehicle and heating systems must be modified to use Biofuels
Rudolph Diesel’s first diesel engine ran on vegetable oil. Any diesel can run on Biodiesel, although blends above B20 may not yet be supported by your manufacturer.
Any heating system can use Biodiesel, although you may need to replace your fuel pump and make minor modifications for blends over B20.
Henry Ford promoted ethanol. Any car can run on up to E24 (24% ethanol). Blends up to E85 can be used in Flex Fuel Vehicles. There are millions of these on the road today. By 2012, all GM vehicles will be Flex Fuel.
Myth: Biofuels must be subsidized to be affordable.
When you include the cost of our military protecting Mid East oil, environmental remediation, smog and other environmental damage, and numerous similar factors, the real cost of a gallon of gasoline is over $5! It’s already heavilysubsidized! Biofuels, on the other hand, are minimally-subsidized. The blending credit (51 cents/gallon for Ethanol) and ($1/gallon for Biodiesel), gets passed on to the consumer. Sometimes Biofuels cost less than petroleum. This will continue to occur with increasing frequency as the price of petroleum continues to rise, and the price of Biofuels continue to fall as production increases.
Reality:Biofuels are the only real alternatives to fossil fuels, which cost us far more than the price we pay at the pump. Petroleum fuels damage our environment. Every time we buy gasoline, most of the profits go to hostile foreign nations. Money spent on Biofuels stays right here in America, creating jobs and growing our economy!
Data sources: USDA and DOE
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Ethanol is clean, renewable, and made in America. Gasoline is none of those things.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
PROS
E10 contributes less to greenhouse gases
E10 can be made from sugar canes which can increase work available for sugar cane farmers
Cons
Some evidence of wrecking engines
More expensive to make
Is not a answer to the global warming prob, it still contributes to greenhouse gases just less
Sugar farms cause soil nutrient loss and can destroy it
August 29th, 2008 at 3:17 am
Ethanol Alternative fuel produced by fermentation of sugars, in the United States it is most commonly produced from corn and used in gasoline at volume fractions of 10 percent or less.