Ethanol: Is It an Alternative for Fossil Fuel Burning?

Everyone knows that gasoline is made offossil fuels. Using gasoline-powered cars creates too much carbon dioxide and pollutes the atmosphere, causing global warming.The United States, as well as most other countries around the world, are looking desperately for a solution to this monumental problem. Scientists have considered a number of possible alternatives to gasoline. One such possibility is ethanol. Ethanol is a clear, odorless type of alcohol obtained from crops such as corn, switch grass, and sugarcane. It does not pollute the atmosphereand, when added to gasoline, greatly reduces harmful emissions. There are many benefits of replacing gasoline with ethanol, but there are some downsides too. It yields much less energy than gasoline, and ethanol productionuses upfarmland that couldhave been used for growing food for people.

What is ethanol anyway?

Ethanol is a colorless, clean-burning type of alcohol that is an excellent source of energy, or so it seems. It is obtained from two sources: either crops with high sugar content such as sugar beets and sugarcane, or crops with high amounts of starch that can easily be turned into sugar. A major sourceof this type of ethanol is corn.It is formed by bacteria fermenting and then breaking down the carbohydrate sugars in crops. Ethanol is used in a wide variety of other products, such as brewing alcoholic drinks, and has been used by humans for thousands of years. Since it comes from corn, which is generally renewable, it is considered a renewable resource. An extensive process is used to convert sugars and starches to ethanol. Here is a sort of simplified version of this process: Above is a diagram showing the process of ethanol production. As the need for a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel rapidly rises, scientists are looking desperately for a solution. But there is one fuel which just might be the answer: ethanol. Ethanol seems like a dream cometrue solution for the energy crisis. But with it come huge problems that can’t be ignored.

In many ways, ethanol seems like a promising alternative to fossil fuels. It is readily available as a renewable resource, because it comes from crops like corn. It greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions when blended with gasoline or burned alone. According to the American Coalition for Ethanol, “Ethanol is a renewable, environmentally friendly fuel that is inherently cleaner than gasoline. Ethanol reduces harmful tailpipe emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen, and other ozone-forming pollutants.” Ethanol has a whopping 35% oxygen content, making it burn more cleanly and completely than any other fuel. Also, ethanol has over 80% less gum-forming compounds. Ethanol use in the U.S. in 2004 alone decreasedcarbon dioxideand other greenhouse gas emissions by 7 million tons- which is equal to taking approximately 1 millioncars off the road. The Argonne National Lab reports that using ethanol as a motor fuel results in a 35-46% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and 50-60 percent decrease of fossil fuel usage. “The people whoaresayingethanol is bad are just plain wrong,” says Daniel Kammen of the University of California in Berkeley.