Ethanol: Marlena Eckel, JJ Farley, Becca Matuse, & Bethany Koop

Ethanol
Marlena Eckel, JJ Farley, Becca Matuse, &

Bethany Koop
How ethanol is made: E85 & cellulosic
biomass
About one third of all U.S. gas is 10% ethanol and 90%
gasoline.
E85=85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
The process of making ethanol generates a series of
valuable co-products including corn oil, protein feed, gluten

meal, germ, refined starches, corn sweeteners and
commercial carbon dioxide.
The value of the final products is roughly double than that
of the raw corn. It can also be made from "cellulosic

biomass" such as trees and grasses.
The use of ethanol can reduce our dependence upon
foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Most ethanol is produced using a four-step process:
1.The ethanol feedstock (crops or plants) are ground up for
easier processing
2.Sugar is dissolved from the ground material, or the
starch or cellulose is converted into sugar
3.Microbes feed on the sugar, producing ethanol and
carbon dioxide as a byproduct
4.The ethanol is purified to achieve the correct
concentration.
It is also possible to produce ethanol through a wet-milling
process, which is used by many large ethanol producers.

This process also yields byproducts such as high-fructose
corn syrup, which is used as a sweetener in many prepared
foods.
The Environmental Impacts
Shortly after the ethanol industry was reborn to
tackle the uncertain oil supplies, US produced
roughly around 10 million gallons of ethanol
fuel. Production rates have increased about 12%
annually ever since 1979.
The oxygen content helps the gasoline burn
more efficiently, by cutting tailpipe pollutants

that include carbon monoxide & benzene. The
fuel source E10 can decrease the overall gasoline
toxicity by 30%, carbon monoxide by 20% &
benzene emissions by 25%.
E85 ethanol is another type of fuel that is
available to run cars.
According to the Environmental Protection
Agency, driving a new V6 Chevrolet Impala on

good-old gasoline will get you 21 mpg in the city,
31 on the highway.
Driving while burning E85-- a blend of 85% of
the alcohol-based ethanol & a 15% gasoline, a

fuel which has American automakers bragging
as their newest alternative-energy idea--& the
Impala’s EPA numbers shrink to 16 mpg city, 23
highway.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
Lower emissions of air pollutants
More resistant to engine knock
Added vehicle cost is very small
Its oxygen content helps gasoline burn more
efficiently, cutting tailpipe pollutants including carbon

monoxide and benzene. E10 can cut carbon monoxide
emissions by 20%, benzene emissions by 25% and
overall gasoline toxicity by 30%.
The use of ethanol can reduce our dependence upon
foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Disadvantages
Can only be used in flex-fuel vehicles
Lower energy content, resulting in fewer miles per
gallon
Limited availability
Currently expensive to produce
Public access to E85 stations limited primarily to the
Midwest, including 50 public recently opened in

Minnesota with construction funding provided by Ford.
According to the US Department of Agriculture,
ethanol production adds 25-50 ￠ to the value of a

bushel of corn, or as much as $5.5 billion over the
entire corn crop.
Major challenges facing ethanol as a
fuel
Corn prices more than doubled; causing riots in Mexico
where corn is a basic foodstuff and creating a situation
where farmers stopped producing other crops and
switched to corn.
Most U.S. motor vehicles are restricted by
manufacturers’ warranties to use gasoline containing no

more than 10 percent ethanol, which will limit growth in
bio-fuel demand.
The biggest challenge facing corn based ethanol plants
going forward will be the potential for water shortages as

water use in making corn based ethanol is significant.
Manufacture and demand are concentrated in
the Midwest, with 88% of production in the five
Corn Belt states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska,
Minnesota and Indiana.
About 6% of the US corn crop becomes ethanol,
and around 90% of US ethanol is produced from

corn.

Ethanol: Marlena Eckel, JJ Farley, Becca Matuse, & Bethany Koop

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethanol: Marlena Eckel, JJ Farley, Becca Matuse, & Bethany Koop

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethanol: Marlena Eckel, JJ Farley, Becca Matuse, & Bethany Koop

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethanol

Marlena Eckel, JJ Farley, Becca Matuse, &

The process of making ethanol generates a series of

valuable co-products including corn oil, protein feed, gluten

of the raw corn. It can also be made from "cellulosic

foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

process, which is used by many large ethanol producers.

more efficiently, by cutting tailpipe pollutants

Agency, driving a new V6 Chevrolet Impala on

the alcohol-based ethanol & a 15% gasoline, a

More resistant to engine knock

Added vehicle cost is very small

Its oxygen content helps gasoline burn more

efficiently, cutting tailpipe pollutants including carbon

foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Lower energy content, resulting in fewer miles per

Currently expensive to produce

Public access to E85 stations limited primarily to the

Midwest, including 50 public recently opened in

ethanol production adds 25-50 ￠ to the value of a

manufacturers’ warranties to use gasoline containing no

going forward will be the potential for water shortages as

and around 90% of US ethanol is produced from

You might also like