Can the United States refineries produce ethanol?

Answer 1

No. Completely different processes. Retrofitting them would be probably at least as costly as building ethanol plants. We're doing that, by the way. One under construction near Lima, OH.

Answer 2

Existing refineries would have to have expensive alterations, or new refineries would need to be built, and there would have to be an entirely new pipeline system to get the ethanol to other parts of the country. Right now it's more expensive to produce ethanol than it's worth.

Look at Brazil's ethanol infrastructure to see what country is currently doing it right.

Answer 3

A refinery doesn't produce ethanol, a refinery is for producing gasoline diesel, heating from crude oil. Ethanol is made from the fermentation/distillation of Corn, sugar cane, or some other carbohydrate.

Answer 4

Many plants in the US are producing ethanol from corn or sugar or other organic materials. Refineries separate crude oil into its parts, such as gasoline. Ethanol is being added to gasoline at various percentages generally 15%

Answer 5

Ethanol production in the United States grew from just a few thousand gallons in the mid-1970's to over 1 billion gallons in 1994. National energy security concerns, new Federal gasoline standards, and government incentives have been the primary stimuli for this growth (Lee). In addition, government and privately sponsored research has resulted in new technologies that lowered the cost of large-scale production of ethanol made from corn (Hohmann and Rendleman). The initial impetus for ethanol commercialization came during the 1970's. The oil embargoes of 1973 and 1979 created much concern over the security of our Nation's energy supplies. Fuel ethanol became attractive as a gasoline extender and was considered as a means of extending the Nation's gasoline supply. About the same time, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was looking for a replacement for lead additives used as octane boosters in gasoline. Because of its high octane content, ethanol soon established a role as an octane enhancer (Lee and Conway).


http://www.arikah.com/encyclopedia/Gasohol

Answer 6

Yes, but not enough to fully implement clean ethanol fuel used by us Americans daily, because Bush has a Former Rep. but still current chairman for the American Petroleum Institute as the head of our United States EPA. ( Enviormental Protection Agency ) to distort any facts about CO2 emissions, Global Warming that is coming out by Scienctists at NASA, and elsewhere. That also includes any interests that Big Oil companies see fit to seeing they don't get brushed aside by cleaner fuels!!

Answer 7

No, there are special plants that produce ethanol.

Answer 8

yes.