Whats the deal with ethanol?

Question

Every one says ethanol is going to help the cost of gas. Gas cost 2.89 right now. How is puting ethanol in it going to make it cost less. I have been buying it for YEARS for $40 a gallon ($10 for a quart jar). How does that make the gas cheaper if you have to pay that for ethanol? Are the big plants just going to put the small producers out of buisness?

Thanks

Dave

Answer 1

I don't know where you have been buying it for $40/gal, but the following pertains to ethanol made from corn, which currently is pretty much your only option (on a mass scale) in America. In Brazil where it is made from sugar cane, the energy ratio of ethanol produced, to energy consumed in production is much higher. In fact the energy ratio is approximately four times greater than corn when acreage is accounted for. The problem for America is that although Brazil exported 684 million gallons of ethanol in 2006, we consumed close to 142 billion gallons of gas per day. Anyway, here are some basic problems with Ethanol in the US;

1) The energy ratio of corn ethanol is (at the most favorable analysis) 1:1.3. This means that for every gallon of ethanol produced, it takes .75 gallons of some hydrocarbon fuel to produce. This is also where the cost of ethanol becomes a factor; the energy ratio is not the cost by itself - you need pay someone to burn the fuel and produce the extra 0.3 gallons of energy you will produce. This amounts to a salary, overhead, insurance, taxes etc. If it made as much economic sense as it's proponents state, then some company would already be doing it without the subsidies.

2) Available land - of all land available for cultivation in America, just over one-third would be required to produce enough to replace ethanol. However, realistically speaking, only half of available land is used for farming (the rest is CRP). This means that two-thirds of available land would be required for ethanol production. What this would do to the cost of food and other goods would be a disaster for lower income familes and people (see bbc source).

3) Energy density of ethanol - The energy density of ethanol is approximately 30% less than gasoline (This again factors into cost). By mass, a 10% ethanol/gasoline mix has approximately 7% less energy than straight gas. By volume (gallon) a 10% ethanol/gasoline mix has 19% energy less than one gallon of straight gass (think of that when you are at the pump). These energy density reductions kill your mpg. Most cars will have higher operating costs due to the lower efficiencies with ethanol (more $ / mile). This is also not taking into account the $0.50 subsidy on every gallon of ethanol on top of the regular tax.

Answer 2

As someone who has used gasohol for 35 years the penalty for the reduced potential energy in a newer computer controlled car is .5 miles per gallon we are eventually going to produce genetically enhanced plants that they are working on now such as switch grass will make the ethanol a much more efficiently produced fuel source. And the ethanol produced by ethanol producers is pure and drinkable but they add chemicals that make it non potable. This point will be moot as we switch to clean diesel power which Europe uses now. They have some small cars that get 75mpg a Volkswagon in particular, and they can run on easily produced fuels. Large vehicles may get 40mpg. and they are very clean burning power plants

Answer 3

The ethanol you buy is for use as a beverage, and the price includes a large tax on ethanol used for that. Ethanol used in gas is posioned (denatured) and much cheaper.

Ethanol from corn is about the same price now as gasoline, but the price of gasoline is going up much faster.

The real win will come when we figure out how to make ethanol efficiently from hardy and low value plants like switch grass.

Answer 4

It probably won't affect the cost of gas for a while. But, as more vehicles convert to flex-fuel, it will actually start to compete with petroleum.

For the time being, the main advantages of ethanol are that it is a renewable resource, and emits less carbon than burning fossil fuels. The amount of energy to produce it (in North America, anyway) is a concern, as is the possible threat to rain forests. It's still a new science, and one that I think is still worth pursuing.

Answer 5

Ethanol is the biggest boondoggle going. Not only is the stuff costly, but it requires the energy of a gallon of ethano (85000 BTU) to make a gallon of the stuff, so every bit of the work and materials used to make fuel ethanol in the US is completely wasted. Furthermore, the increased demand for corn to make the stuff has increased the price of almost every sort of food in the market. In Brazil, the situation is better; they make ethanol from sugar cane, which produces enough fuel to actually be useful.

Answer 6

ethanol is cheap to produce, if it is made in tropical climate from Sugar cane.
In Brazil they make quantities of it.
In the US, ethanol production is expensive for the same reason that sugar production is expensive.
But the US could buy cheap ethanol from Cuba (if the Administration agrees to do so) Colombia (to replace the cocaine they "import") and other places.
This will make these countries the modern versions of Saudi Arabia. and they'll produce non fossil fuel.
the only drawback is that it will be a death blow to the Rain forest in these countries.

Answer 7

its bogus,,,cost more than gas,,gives less power...sugar cane is better but brazil cut down 1/2 the rain forest to get where it is.