Ethanol Produces Less GHG Emissions Than Oil

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is important  because it helps to keep our atmosphere clean and helps to prevent climate change.   Since the Industrial Revolution carbon dioxide emissions, the largest human contribution to the increase of greenhouse gases has skyrocketed.  One of the ways greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced is by using ethanol as a fuel.  Here is some background on greenhouse gases.

What are greenhouse gas emissions?

Greenhouse gases refer to a number of different elements that can absorb infrared radiation.  In our atmosphere the most abundant of these elements are water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrous oxide, and methane.  Greenhouse gases effect the temperature of the Earth, without them we would not survive, but they can also make a planet uninhabitable.

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, but it is not the hottest planet in the solar system.  The average temperature on Mercury is 167 degrees Celsius (by comparison the average temperature on Earth is  7 degrees Celsius), but Venus is hotter with an average temperature of 460 degrees Celsius.  The reason why Venus has a higher average temperature is because Venus has the most greenhouse gas of any planet in our solar system.  These greenhouse gases trap the suns rays heating the surface of the  planet, turning it into a furnace.

Fuel and oil are some of the largest contributors to GHG emissions.  Using ethanol in place of oil based fuel has been shown to reduce GHG emissions.

Yale University’s Journal of Industrial Ecology found that  ethanol has 59%  fewer GHG emissions in the Life Cycle Analysis compared to oil based gasoline.

Argonne National Laboratory documented ethanol reduced GHG emissions in 2007 by ten tons.  Argonne also predicted a bright future for ethanol stating that switch grass could reduce emissions by 94% and that stover and wood crops could reduce emissions by 100%.

Another large contributor to GHG emissions has been industry processes.  Ethanol and oil both fit into this category.  Compared to oil though ethanol has reduced production emissions by 59% by switching from coal fired plants to natural gas and alternative energy powered plants.

As we move further into the 21st century new technology and alternative energy sources will be needed.  Ethanol is one of the few economically viable alternatives to oil based energy today which is why it is important that myths around it creating more GHG than oil be debunked.

Sources:

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/mercuryfact.html

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/venusfact.html

http://icsusa.org/pages/icsusa-articles/november-2010.php

www.growthenergy.org

6 Benefits E15 Can Bring To Fuel

E15, gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, was approved to be sold in the U.S. by the EPA in early 2010.  Currently most fuel stations across the country use E10 a fuel blend that has only 10% ethanol, but the move to E15 could provide U.S. fuel consumers with many benefits.  Here are the top 6 benefits to Americans by switching to E15.

1. Stimulates the American economy – By switching to E15 additional ethanol will need to be created to in order to supply the demand which will create more jobs.  It estimated by only increasing ethanol blends in fuel by 5% over 136,000 new jobs will be created.
2. Reduces dependence on foreign oil – The use of ethanol reduces America’s dependence on foreign oil.  In 2010 E10 reduced American oil imports to the amount of 445 million barrels.  E15 will require 7 billion less gallons of oil to produce gasoline.
3. 67% of current vehicles can use E15 – Passenger cars built after 2001 are cleared to use this fuel, and as more new cars enter the market they will also be able to take advantage of using E15.  For those that can’t use E15 clear warning labels are going to be presented at gas stations.
4. Encourages the creation of vehicles that can handle higher ethanol blends – More ethanol needed to fuel cars will require auto makers to invest in making vehicles that can run using different types of fuel.  This could create healthy competition in the market place for fuel and give American’s a choice in what they fill their vehicles up with, rather than having only one practical choice, oil.
5. Encourages more research into cellulosic ethanol – Research in cellulosic ethanol was stalled until the EPA allowed E15 to be used.  This occurred because ethanol supply had met ethanol demand and a new source for ethanol would not be needed.  Why is cellulosic ethanol research important?  Cellulosic ethanol would allow energy to be created out of non edible parts of plants.  In short it’s energy (ethanol) that would be created from woodchips, corn stalks, switchgrass, etc. which means it’s essentially turning bio-waste into fuel.
6. Grain ethanol has 59% fewer green house gas emissions than conventional gasoline – In the life cycle analysis research published in Yale University’s Journal of Industrial Ecology discovered grain ethanol had 59% fewer green house gas admissions than conventional gasoline.

Source:

http://www.growthenergy.org/

Ethanol’s First Rise and Fall

Around the world the amount of ethanol production has increased significantly over the past decade, especially in the United States where the gasoline supply in the U.S. went from 1% ethanol in 2000 to 10% ethanol in 2010.  Ethanol’s most widespread use is in fuel and ethanol fuel’s most widespread use is in gasoline.  At least  10% of gasoline mixtures in the U.S. contain ethanol with the U.S. moving toward having 15% blends with the EPA’s approval of E15 blended gasoline in 2010.  It would seem as if we were moving towards the future by switching towards the use of ethanol, ironically as it turns out we are moving closer to the past.

In 1908 Henry Ford began producing the Model T, the first affordable automobile in the United States.  Henry Ford didn’t fuel his mass produced car with oil based gasoline, he fueled it with corn based ethanol.  For the next 10 years ethanol was the primary source of fuel for automobiles in the United States, Ford’s Model T could run off of oil based gasoline, but Ford personally endorsed the use of ethanol as fuel for his car.

Around the same time Ford’s Model T was taking off the movement to make alcohol illegal was rapidly gaining support.  Major prohibition supporters WCTU and Anti-Saloon League’s memberships were peaking and many states were now banning alcohol individually.  The Anti-Saloon League reportedly received over $500,000 from Standard Oil’s John D. Rockefeller to help spearhead this movement, which they did.  Prohibition was passed in 1919 and went into law in early 1920.

Prohibition not only made it illegal for people to purchase alcoholic beverages but it made it illegal to purchase any kind of alcohol, which ultimately included ethanol.  During the prohibition years 1920-1933 ethanol as a fuel for cars was replaced by fuel made from oil.  By the time prohibition was finally repealed oil based fuel had replaced ethanol based fuel, setting us up for the fuel economy we have today.

Source on Rockefeller donations: http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/05/17/specials/rockefeller-gifts.html