Environmental problems with ethanol fuel ?

Like all good intentions people hijack the proposal for their own use. Ethanol as given by many is a very good fuel which has more Hydrogen atom than carbon atoms unlike gasoline. So the end product of combustion is more environment friendly than petrol. I am not going into the statistics since it is already given by many. Originally ethanol was made by fermenting any carbohydrates and sugars with bacteria and distilling the same. Like grapes used in wine etc. The sugar industry has a lot of waste material in their process known as molasses and they were able to use this as a raw material to produce ethanol. So far everything was good. We started getting a useful product from waste. But when the gasoline prices started going up,people started with corn hob as a raw material to produce ethanol and landed up with corn itself. This has caused all the furore over the food shortage etc. We should not dismiss ethanol per se but try to use waste materials to produce it so that waste can be usefully used. Research n the future will cme out with some other raw material which is going t be very useful in the production of ethanol.Environmental problems with ethanol fuel ?I think the problems have more to do with the production and transport of ethanol, versus the actual product.



Studies have shown that it takes the equivalent of 1.7 gallons of gasoline (in energy needed for the process) to create one gallon of ethanol. Not very efficient. Also, ethanol is prone to separating, so it cannot be piped from point to point. It must be trucked in relatively small quantities, thereby increasing emissions from those vehicles that are transporting it. Ethanol is corrosive to the interior of your engine, which leads to greater rates of engine replacement....so you have the whole, energy and raw products into producing engines at an increased rate issue.



One gallon of ethanol also does not provide as much energy as one gallon of gasoline...therefore you will have to use more ethanol to get the same result as you would for gasoline.



Finally, selling your corn for ethanol is much more profitable than selling it for food, which has lead to food shortages all around the world.



All in all, I think ethanol is a boondoggle that does much more harm than it does good.Environmental problems with ethanol fuel ?
The CO2 taken in by the crops makes up for the CO2 produced. This however doesn't account for the CO2 released during planting, harvesting, and production of ethanol. Millions of acres used to produce fuel rather than food, or forest. Ethanol is a great science experiment but the net effect of ethanol on the environment is negative. Like most solution thought up by our politicians and scientist it doesn't pass the common sense test.Environmental problems with ethanol fuel ?Ethanol fuel is clean burning at the point it is used.



The major problems with the fuel are concerned with the way it is produced. Crops such as corn are grown using intensive agricultural methods (heavy machinery, fossil fuel based fertilizers) are net consumers of fossil fuels. This means that, although the fuel has come from a biological source it is not carbon neutral - the exact amount of carbon used varies considerably with local conditions (distance from field to factory, growing conditions, water demands etc... ).



The biggest human issue is the impact that this is having on global food prices. Fields that once grew crops for human consumption are diverted to another use (growing corn to make ethanol) which reduces supply of food. Reduced supply drives up food prices (basic supply and demand economics) which has a disproportionately large impact on the very poorest people in the world.



Increased demand for energy crops is also a driving force behind deforestation globally. Palm oil used to produce biodiesel is a particular example - virgin forests are being cut down and plantations of palm trees established. This form of slash and burn agriculture reduces vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere immediately and impacts on biodiversity and endangered species in these areas.



So while biofuels, such as ethanol, are appealing as sources of 'clean' energy there are many practical problems associated with their ever expanding uptake.



Ethanol has the advantage that it can be produced relatively cheaply, and then added to ordinary petrol fuel at the pumps, however it is not going to become a 'cure all' for green house gases associated with burning fossil fuels.Environmental problems with ethanol fuel ?
There are far greater environmental problems with gasoline than with ethanol.



Ethanol Clean Air Facts:



* Ethanol blends are likely to reduce carbon monoxide emissions in vehicles by between 10% - 30%, depending upon the combustion technology. (U.S. EPA)

* The American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago credits ethanol-blended fuel with reducing smog-forming emissions by 25% since 1990.

* The use of 10% ethanol blends reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 12-19% compared to conventional gasoline. (Argonne National Lab)

* In 2004, ethanol use in the U.S. reduced CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 7 million tons, equal to removing the emissions of more than 1 million cars from the road. (Argonne National Lab)

* Research shows a 35-46% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 50-60% reduction in fossil energy use due to the use of ethanol as a motor fuel. (Argonne National Lab)

* Ethanol contains 35% oxygen, making it burn more cleanly and completely than gasoline.

* E85 has the highest oxygen content of any fuel available, making it burn even more cleanly and even more completely than any other fuel.

* E85 contains 80% fewer gum-forming compounds than gasoline.

* Ethanol is highly biodegradable, making it safer for the environment.

*Gasoline is a carcinogen and pollutes ground water. Ethanol is non-carcinogenic and is inert in the presence of water.







E85 Ethanol (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) is a clean fuel with superior performance characteristics. It burns cleaner than gasoline, is renewable, environmentally safer, and made here in America鈥搕hat means more jobs for Americans, a stronger economy, and a more secure energy supply!



Today, the U. S. imports over half of its oil. By filling up the flex fuel vehicles (FFVs), drivers can reduce our need for foreign oil and help clean up the environment.



While some CO2 is released during ethanol combustion, it is recaptured as a nutrient in the crops used to make it, unlike burning fossil fuel, which unlocks carbon stored deep in the earth for eons. Ethanol degrades quickly in water so it poses much less risk to the environment than petroluem.



Yea, gasoline is much better for the environment------Sep. 28, 2009. massive oil spill in gulf spews 10,500 gallons of oil into ocean.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090928/ap_o鈥?/a>Environmental problems with ethanol fuel ?The real problem is environmental issues with gasoline and the economic problems associated with importing millions of barrels of oil a day from foreign countries which are hostile to us.