Ethanol as an Alternative Fuel

Ethanol is probably the most well known alternative fuel in the world today as it has been being developed for years.  Ethanol is also known as grain alcohol because it is made most often with corn.  Using ethanol as an alternative fuel is a great way to help the environment and our farmers too.

Currently there is an alternative fuel ethanol product on the market called E85.  E85 is made from 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent alcohol.  There are many cars that can run on E85 fuel and while it isn’t completely environmentally safe, it is still a viable alternative fuel in the marketplace.

Ethanol is a type of alcohol that has been converted to allow it to become a source of alternative fuel for vehicles.  Ethanol is sometimes called grain alcohol and is generally made in the United States from corn. It can also be made from organic materials including agricultural crops and waste, plant material left from logging, and trash including paper. 

Brazil, which is by far the largest producer in the world, makes ethanol from sugar cane. Projects are now underway in California to convert some of the state's agricultural waste, like rice straw that is now burned in fields, into ethanol.  Ethanol as an alternative fuel has really come a long way from the “drawing table” into reality.

In reality, the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages is ethanol. However, the ethanol used for motor fuel is denatured, which means poison has been added so people can't drink it. 

Some people believe that ethanol takes more energy to make than what it gives back and for the most part, this is true.  However, technologies have evolved in such a way that it is possible to increase the efficiency of producing ethanol.

Corn ethanol as an alternative fuel is made today by converting the starch in corn to sugars and then into alcohol in a process of fermenting. A company in Canada, Iogen, has invented a process for converting agricultural waste such as corn stalks, husks, etc. (corn "stover") and other cellulose rich plant waste like straw into ethanol by using enzymes. 

Using ethanol as an alternative fuel is only a part of the alternative fuel trend.  There are many other alternative fuels being developed in the “green” movement.  The reality is that ethanol provides the most promise in use as an alternative fuel.  It will be developed by leaps and bounds over the years and we predict it will become THE alternative fuel to go to in the future.
