How do I build an ethanol fuel station?

Question

Serious answers please. I am interested in building a fuel station in South Florida, but I have no idea how. I know there's a tax credit, anyone with any info and/or with step by step guidelines is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Check out the website:

http://www.e85fuel.com

They should be able to provide you with info if you want to start up an E85 fueling station.

And the one guy is wrong. It is energy efficient to produce ethanol, even from cellulose.

Answer 2

Florida doesn't appear to have any public E85 stations
http://www.e85refueling.com/locations.php?state=flFlorida
so chances are, there's no local infrastructure for distributing E85.

E85 moves by rail, not pipeline. And railcars can go anywhere there's rail. So you may find it rather useful to be located next to a railroad siding, so you can slurp the E85 directly off the railcar.

Look at sites with railroad tracks that are zoned for fuel handling, and then TALK TO THE RAILROADS because there may be issues there. Mainline/commuter railroads may charge a lot of money for a switch and siding. Short line railroads will be eager for your business but aren't necessarily well equipped to handle hazmat. E85 is hazmat because a) it's flammable and b) the other 15% (not ethanol) is toxic.

You may have to strike a balance between public access, rail access and zoning. Or truck it from your transload facility to your gas station(s).

It might also be useful to have enough tank space to unload 1-2 railcars, so you aren't paying daily rental on the railcars any longer than you have to.

Answer 3

You're going to need a source for a feedstock, such as switchgrass. And a still. You can get the basic information from the Oakridge Laboratories website. Figuring that you can get about 1200 gallons per acre per year, you'll just have to decide how many customers you want.

Answer 4

Elmar66, you're the one who needs to be educated. Gasoline raises the price of everything, not just food. Oil is the sole number one cause of inflation because every good you buy at the store has to be transported by sea, air, or land via diesel or gas. And the net energy gain for ethanol production is a positive 77% for the corn to ethanol wet mill process according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy based on a large 2006 study. Refining crude oil into usable gasoline and shipping it from saudia arabia to the gulf of mexico via oil tankers uses huge amounts of energy. I'd rather pay more for a hamburger and less for everything else I buy. Ethanol is clean, renewable, and made in America. Gasoline is none of those things.

Now, to answer your question, check out www.ethanol.org I applaud you for considering opening an ethanol station. We need more of them and more people like you!

Answer 5

I have worked with Ethanol and it is very flammable . If u have a fire in sun light u cannot see the flame.

Answer 6

Why would you want to? It take 40% more energy to produce ethanol that enthanol is capable of producing? It's a lose/lose situation.

The only thing ethanol fuel will do is raise the price of Grain, Milk, Poultry, Beef and nearly everything else.

Get educated about ethanol.

Besides most vehicles are incapable of using straight ethanol.

Answer 7

right you will go down on our list as a potential enemy of the planet to be sacrificed on the Pagan Dawn,for suporting wholessale slaughter of animals and destruction of Nature ,
so you live in south florida
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=As4hidobe1nWju6WnK285UTsy6IX?qid=20070618163201AAyuI69

Answer 8

Don't bother (besides, if you're asking about it here you probably wouldn't be able to do it anyway).

Though if you do decide to do that make you sure you can sleep knowing that you're causing people to starve.