Ethanol is "a grain alcohol made mainly from corn in the U.S.A." (22). "Ethanol contains 35% oxygen, making it burn more cleanly and completely than gasoline."(53)
The American Coalition for Ethanol explains the fuels transportation uses as follows:
"Pure, 100% ethanol is not generally used as a motor fuel; instead, a percentage of ethanol is combined with unleaded gasoline. This is beneficial because the ethanol:
- decreases the fuel's cost
- increases the fuel's octane rating
- decreases gasoline's harmful emissions
"Any amount of ethanol can be combined with gasoline, but the most common blends are:
"E10 - 10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline. E10 is approved for use in any make or model of vehicle sold in the U.S. Many automakers recommend its use because of its high performance, clean-burning characteristics. In 2004, about one-third of America's gasoline was blended with ethanol, most in this 10% variety.
"E85 - 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded gasoline. E85 is an alternative fuel for use in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs). There are currently more than 4 million FFVs on America's roads today, and automakers are rolling out more each year. In conjunction with more flexible fuel vehicles, more E85 pumps are being installed across the country. When E85 is not avaialble, these FFVs can operate on straight gasoline or any ethanol blend up to 85%.
"It is important to note that it does not take a special vehicle to run on "ethanol". All vehicles can use E10 with no modifications to the engine. E85 is for use in a flexible fuel vehicle, so some people confuse "ethanol" with the blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline." (54).
The head of the U.S. Energy Information Administration recently told a Senate Committee that, "the U.S. ethanol Indisutry can't keep up with the demand for fuel-grade alcohol to mix with gasoline." (22) There is, thus, some question as to whether Ethanol can be produced in significant quantities to be a real player among the other energy technologies.
American Coalition for Ethanol
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