Alternate Fuels

? Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel. It is clear and colorless. When ethanol is blended with gasoline, it improves emission qualities and increases octane. Ethanol can be produced from sugar cane and sugar beets which are feedstock that contain sugar, it can also be produced from barley, corn, wheat, and other starch crops that can be easily converted into sugar by fermenting and distilling those crops. Even cellulose feedstock such as corn stalks, rice straw, pulpwood, and municipal solid waste can be used to produce ethanol.
? Most U.S. ethanol production takes place in the Midwest. Larger ethanol producers use a wet-milling method to manufacture ethanol but usually ethanol production begins when the feedstock is ground up so it can be quickly processed. Once ground up, sugar in the feedstock is either dissolved or the starch in the feedstock is converted to sugar. The sugars are fed to microbes as food, and the microbes produce ethanol and carbon dioxide in the process. In the final step of the production process, the ethanol is purified to a desired concentration.
? The future for ethanol as a fuel is bright. In 1990 the U.S. government enacted the Clean Air Act Amendments and mandated oxygenated fuels be sold in areas which had unhealthy levels of carbon monoxide. Since that time the demand for ethanol as an oxygenated fuel has increased and approximately two billion gallons of ethanol are now added to gasoline each year to increase octane and improve emissions qualities. Numerous vehicles are ethanol-compatible and most of the vehicles which can be purchased today can run on blends often percent ethanol and ninety percent gasoline. Some vehicles can use as much as fifteen percent ethanol in the gasoline blend. U.S. consumption of ethanol is projected to be more than seven billion liters by the year 2012. By the year 2020, world demand for the product is expected to be between 120 and 130 billion liters. Ethanol"s future also appears bright because it sells for less than the cost of oil and it can supply needs when crude oil supplies and refining capacities are limited. Besides, because of the variety of stocks that can be used to produce large amounts of this renewable fuel, increased job opportunities and economic growth may result.
? Biodiesel, a diesel replacement fuel, is a blend of diesel and a soy or canola additive and can be made from animal fats and vegetable oils mixed with alcohol or methanol, and even recycled cooking grease. It is a renewable fuel which has been used by the Washington State Ferry service and Washington state municipalities for buses and garbage trucks. The U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy, and Agriculture have also joined the list of biodiesel users. Although biodiesel prices generally exceed regular diesel prices, many users are willing to pay a premium to use this alternate fuel. Additional cost is not required, however, for special pumps or high pressure fueling equipment. Biodiesel stations are not common in the western states, and private users are difficult to count. A major biodiesel plant would require around 100,000 acres to be planted in canola or mustard seed to produce five million gallons of biodiesel annually but it has been difficult to convince farmers to begin growing these crops as rotation crops with wheat plantings because canola and mustard crops have been unprofitable in the past.
[■] Methanol, which has similar physical and chemical characteristics to ethanol, has benefits over gasoline because it provides lower emissions for automobiles as well as higher performance and lower risk of flammability. [■] One disadvantage of methanol"s use is that it produces a high amount of formaldehyde in emissions. Another disadvantage is that its manufacture is only economically feasible on an industrial scale. [■] Methanol is also toxic and may cause permanent health damage with extensive exposure. Methanol can be used in flexible fuel vehicles that function on a blend of fifteen percent gasoline and eighty-five percent methanol but this alternate fuel, which is also known as wood alcohol, is not commonly used because automobile manufacturers are no longer making methanol-powered vehicles. [■]
? Alternative vehicular fuels are being used worldwide in a variety of ways. They can be used in fleet vehicles or personal vehicles and most of the fuels have positive impacts on the environment. They can reduce harmful pollutants, lessen exhaust emissions, and be produced domestically. Because they are manufactured from renewable sources they may be the preferred fuels of tomorrow.

Glossary

barley: a widely distributed cereal plant belonging to the genus Hordeum, of the grass family
vehicular: of vehicles (means by which someone travels)
biodiesel: fuel produced from renewable biological resources