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Although there seems to be a new ethanol plant basically every minute, there are those which are still considered as being more major and more important than others, and so while we should not forget about the rest of them, we should still make sure that we pay closer mind to these ones in particular.

For instance, there is the matter that came up most recently, in regards to the fact that a new ethanol plant was going to be fueled by cow manure; it should be known first off however that the new ethanol plant facilities may have a big impact in regards to the growing debate over the value of ethanol which, for those who do not know, is a liquid fuel that is distilled from food starches such as corn as a supplement or alternative to gasoline.

Furthermore, it is considered that ethanol is actually going to turn into our major source rather than gasoline, and this is a matter that is one of great and significance importance, not only to us and where we live, but as a global matter.

More on the New Ethanol Plant

In regards further to the new ethanol plant however, the new plant is expected to extract methane from 1 billion pounds of manure the product of about 500,000 cows in order to be able to generate 100 million gallons of ethanol, plus ash-by product, each year. As well, methane will then be derived from the manure and will then be burned to generate the steam that is necessary for processing corn into ethanol.

Basically, by mining mountains for energy, there are then certain facilities, such as the Panda facility, which is expected to save the equivalent of a thousand barrels of oil a day that would otherwise be required in order to be able to fuel ethanol production.

It is quite easy to see the importance of ethanol, as well as how great it is going to be in the future, and how promising the future truly looks if we were to actually turn to ethanol as our major source of fuel. However, we can truly only wait to see what happens, and you never know, perhaps within that time there will be more options to choose from as well; just as ethanol came into place ahead of gasoline, as could another come in front of it.

In the United States, much of the ethanol produced comes from corn or other plant wastes. Ethanol is in high demand, its benefits could be used a lot more than we actually use it. In other areas around the world, ethanol is derived from sugar cane. Two such nations that are turning this crop into transportation fuel include India and Brazil. Read below about this transportation technology used by these two nations, and the possible socioeconomic impacts that this process may have on them.

India is the largest sugar producer in the world, and in terms of sugarcane, it stands head to head with Brazil. India is currently facing an overhaul of their sugar cane and molasses producing industry to incorporate the distilling of sugar cane ethanol. The goal is to take this ethanol and blend it with gasoline to produce a cleaner burning fuel and lower the country s current dependence on oil.

While India is well on its way to the increase in sugar cane ethanol production, Brazil is already there with plans to become self-sufficient in regards to energy. Brazil is already to the point where some pumps put out only alcohol while others pump out only gasoline. This achievement did not come to Brazil easily, but rather took tens of years of research, mistakes, and billions of dollars to accomplish.

The Politics of Ethanol

Fuel economy, availability and usage drive many of the political discussions, debates and wars in our current world. One of the concerns facing the nations producing sugar cane ethanol is that of foreign trade. Will the pressure placed on these nations by outside countries be equivalent to that placed by oil producing countries today? While the answers are uncertain, it is clear that other nations around the world are beginning to see the success that these two lands have had and wish to replicate it.

Currently, the tax levied on sugar cane ethanol imported from Brazil is 54 cents a gallon by the United States, hindering the involvement of Americans in the building of the industry. On another big business note, there are two industries that will dramatically be affected by the use of ethanol in automobiles including the oil industry and the automobile industry. Automobile companies are being challenged to produce cars with flexible fuel engines. These run on gasoline, a mixture of ethanol and gasoline, or on ethanol alone.

Although homemade ethanol can certainly be a dangerous thing, it can also be a rather intriguing thing, and so in order to be able to understand everything about homemade ethanol in general, one must learn about how to make it, what is involved in the process, and more, as well as what the dangers are of homemade ethanol; only when all of these matters are discussed can a proper viewpoint be taken on the subject matter.

About Homemade Ethanol

In regards to the matter of homemade ethanol, basically there are several facts that should be taken into consideration, such as: the level of interest in using alcohol as motor fuel has followed cycles of fuel shortages and/or low feed-grain prices; alcohols burn more completely, thus increasing combustion efficiency; and that there are many disadvantages to using alcohols, particularly methyl and ethyl alcohol.

As well, ethanol, which is grain alcohol, can be made out of straw; and in fact the ability to make ethanol from straw rice straw, wheat straw, oat straw, etc.- is truly the modern day equivalent of the Holy Grail or the Philosopher s Stone, as in a time when barely any new oil fields have been discovered in the past ten years, and a war in Iraq rages with such madness that it seems unlikely that anyone will be able to pump oil for the next several years.

As well, intensive research on cellulose conversion to ethanol previously focused on that of mechanical, heat and acid hydrolysis techniques, all of which are expensive, and as well, it should be known however that cellulose ethanol truly has two unique advantages over conventional alcohol.

The first is that the greenhouse gas emission reductions from cellulose ethanol are three times greater than those from grain based ethanol on a life cycle basis, and second, cellulose ethanol is made from a plentiful and renewable resource, which is the non-food portion of agriculture crops.

The ethanol industry in general is truly growing at an incredible pace, and in fact, production was up nearly 23 percent compared to just last June when 180,000 b/d of ethanol was produced; the ethanol industry is also expected to produce more than 3.3 billion gallons in 2004, up from 2.81 gallons in 2003.

Overall it is quite easy to see that there is much to know about ethanol in general, and also that in order to be able to have a proper viewpoint on it altogether, we need to try and understand as much about it in general as we can.

The new green gold of the modern times is cellulosic ethanol which, thanks to research has made possible the transformation of straw and other plant wastes into cellulosic ethanol that is chemically the same as ethanol made out of corn or soybeans. However, this type of ethanol has thrice the net energy as compared with corn ethanol and also does not emit much greenhouse gases and with better and improved technology, cellulosic ethanol may one day replace the costlier imported black gold called oil

Reduce Consumption of Gasoline

Man can reduce consumption of gasoline using cellulosic ethanol and large corporations have also recognized this possibility. There is a basic fundamental difference in how ethanol and is produced since them each use different feed stocks and undergo different processes. Cellulosic ethanol is a kind of ethanol which is made from different biomass that also includes urban, agricultural as well as forest sources. Cellulosic ethanol uses a starting raw material called cellulose and is different to that used for ethanol which is sugar and starches.

To produce it one requires two methods and these are hydrolysis with further fermentation of the free sugar that has been generated as also synthesis gas fermentation or catalysis. The beauty of the making of cellulosic ethanol is that there is no toxic emission given off in the production of ethanol and even though the technology is relatively new, there is much ongoing testing that bodes well for the future.

Government Invests Millions to Commercialize Ethanol Use

A Canadian biotechnology company called Iogen Corporation began selling cellulosic ethanol from April 2004 and its main buyer is the Canadian government as well as the US government that have both invested millions of dollars to enable companies to commercialize cellulosic ethanol. In the search for alternative energies that are used in the transportation industry one has to find something less expensive as well as more environment friendly than gasoline, diesel as well as kerosene.

Cellulosic ethanol may provide the answer as there is an abundance of raw material available which grows in every plant is it straw, grass or wood and transforming them into ethanol could provide one third of the current fuel consumption requirements in the US as also in other countries. There is also plenty of scope for planting cellulose producing crops such as switch grass so that there are enough raw materials available to produce cellulosic ethanol and thus have a viable alternative to current oil usage.

A few generations ago, people hid in the woods with their stills hiding from the feds while they made grain alcohol from corn mash. Today, they have shareholders and huge manufacturing plants turning out ethanol to use as fuel. The big differences is the product today is denatured ethanol which is purposely rendered unfit for human consumption.

Ethanol, usually referred to as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is high flammable, slightly toxic clear liquid with a light perfume odor. Typically found in alcoholic beverages it is regulated and highly taxed in its original form. However, with other uses for the alcohol such as industrial and medical applications, it has been denatured to make it unfit for consumption with the addition of benzoate or methanol. Many forms of denatured ethanol can be bought without the high taxation and without regulations.

There are currently over 100 refineries in the United States producing about 5.1 billion gallons of ethanol with close to 60 more denatured ethanol plants under construction. Currently it costs about $1.50 per gallon to refine denatured ethanol with price fluctuations caused by the changing price of corn.

Other Countries Lead Ethanol Production

Used as a fuel or fuel additive, other countries, such as Brazil, has been running on a blend of denatured ethanol and gasoline, commonly called gasohol, and manufactures its ethanol from sugar. As an additive, it is not uncommon to find gasoline in Brazil to contain as much as 20 percent ethanol.

Some have blamed the refinement of sugar in Brazil into ethanol for higher sugar prices and are predicting higher costs of products made from corn in the United States to follow. However, as more denatured ethanol manufacturers are seeing the financial benefits, many are buying their own farms on which to cultivate corn.

In addition to the federal government not taxing denatured ethanol used in fuel production, ethanol also is not charged the 52 cents per gallon tax as is gasoline, keeping the refining costs lower to help spur the increase in use of this renewable fuel.

The governments renewable fuel standard will require the use of 7.5 billion gallons of denatured ethanol be used as a fuel by 2012, up from the four billion gallon requirement that existed in 2006. Additional manufacturing facilities and refineries, along with an increase in corn production will be required to enable manufacturers to meet the deadline.

Grain alcohol or ethyl alcohol are other names for ethanol, which is inflammable and contains no color while also being a slightly toxic chemical compound that gives off a very distinct odor that may remind one of a perfume and is also the alcohol content of alcoholic beverages. Some people may also call it alcohol and it has been known to man from prehistoric times, being used for purposes of intoxication in alcoholic beverages.

Ethanol may be made with the help of biological feed stocks of any variety which contain plenty of sugar or materials that can be transformed to sugar that include starch or cellulose. Other examples of feed stocks containing sugar are sugar beets and sugar cane. After grinding the feedstock, the sugar content can be dissolved and then fed to microbes that draw on it for food and produces ethanol as well as carbon dioxide and it should further be refined to get the exact amount of concentration required. There are several advantages to using ethanol such as it is easy to use as well as handle and can be used to reduce consumption of petroleum and is also good for the environment.

Dates Back 9000 Years Ago

Its history may be traced back 9000 years ago when some traces of it were found in pottery items in the northern parts of mainland China which points to use of alcoholic beverages among Neolithic people of ancient times. Its hydroxyl group enables it to take part in hydrogen bonding and it is a versatile solvent that can be used for dissolving medicines, food flavorings and colorings that are not easily dissolved in water.

Ethanol may be produced as a petrochemical via hydration of ethylene and also for fermentation of sugar with yeast. There is also use for ethanol as industrial feedstock but ethanol is used in alcoholic beverages as well as mostly for fuel which is derived by fermentation. It is basically produced through the fermentation as well as distillation of starch crops that are transformed into plain sugar and common feedstock for this fuel is corn, barley as well as wheat.

Ethanol may be made with the help of biological feed stocks of any variety which contain plenty of sugar or materials that can be transformed to sugar that include starch or cellulose. Other examples of feed stocks containing sugar are sugar beets and sugar cane. After grinding the feedstock, the sugar content can be dissolved and then fed to microbes that draw on it for food and produces ethanol as well as carbon dioxide and it should further be refined to get the exact amount of concentration required.

For many years, US politicians have subsidized corn production and its conversion to ethanol so that it may be added to petrol as a fuel in itself as well as help to burn petrol more efficiently as well as cleanly. The hope is that ethanol will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also help reduce America s dependence on Middle East oil. It is estimated that as many as ten million acres of land are needed to grow corn and make ethanol.

With most ethanol that is produced in the U.S being made from corn this has provided an economic stimulus to U.S. agriculture and has created a new market for corn and by expanding the production in the ethanol industry it may be a means of increasing farm income as well as reducing farm program payments and also lessen the dependence on imported fuels. Furthermore, there is more energy efficiency achieved through use of corn and ethanol and it also achieves a net gain in a better form of energy since converting corn and ethanol means using abundant domestic supplies of coal and natural gas and at the same time replaces petroleum imports.

Negative Aspects and Problems Concerning Usage of Corn and Ethanol

There are certain problems with using corn and ethanol since it requires fuel to make the corn in the first place and it has been found that an acre of U.S. corn can be used to make 328 gallons of ethanol which is fine but the planting as well as growing and harvesting of that amount of corn will need 140 gallons of fossil fuels that in itself amounts to $347 per acre which translates to $1.05 per gallon of ethanol being spent even before the corn leaves the farm. This may be further compounded by the crushing and fermentation of corn at processing plants, all of which consumes energy. The resultant end cost of producing ethanol and using corn works out to be more expensive than that of petrol.

Even then, there are many that argue that corn and ethanol are energy efficient and in fact, it gives up a third or slightly more percentage energy than it does to make it in the first place. Studies have even shown that the net energy value or NEV of corn and ethanol is rising with the passage of time and this may be due to advances in technology relating to converting ethanol as well as for better production of corn.

There have been many changes in the ethanol industry since the days when Henry Ford designed him Model T to be able to run on grain alcohol produced by farmers for their own use. Since that time the oil industry was reluctant to embrace ethanol as an alternative fuel source and for many years the industry languished.

As oil shortages and high gas prices began to be more frequent, the public clamor over reduced oil prices and better availability, there has been a renewed interest in ethanol industry. When word began to spread about the availability of a new alternative fuel, people were willing to use ethanol-blended gasoline, but were unable to find a supplier except in the Midwest where corn was plentiful.

During that time the ethanol industry may have consisted of a half dozen or so refineries turning corn into alcohol for automotive fuel and they began to re-think the needs of increasing capacity. The federal Environmental Protection Agency gave them the initiative to do just that when the government passed the Energy Policy Act of 1992 followed by directions in 2005 to have 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol available for use as vehicle fuel by 2012.

Guaranteed Customers For Product

With the newer mandates coming down in 2005, the ethanol industry had the incentive to expand their facilities and with just over 100 refineries in operation in early 2006, another 56 refineries are under construction. Additionally, the EPA has directed several cities outside of California, to reduce emissions and switching to Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFAs) is one of the alternatives to meeting the mandates.

The ethanol industry has also helped other industries with their increased production, such as corn, which represents about 55 percent of the cost of producing ethanol. By products of ethanol refinement by the ethanol industry is also being made available to producers of products such as nail polish remover and paint thinners. Although there are few areas in the country that are friendly to growing cane sugar, it is also being considered by the ethanol industry for the biomass production of ethanol.

One element that tends to hamper the ethanol industry is the constant price fluctuations of corn. Before oil prices exploded in 2005, the cost of ethanol fluctuated nearly the same as gasoline. However, the corn prices go up and down, the fluctuations are more often and more noticible.

If you are looking for an alternative to gasoline look no further than ethanol fuel which can be pure ethanol or be combined with gasoline in concentrations that vary according to desired levels. With anhydrous ethanol or ethanol not containing water you may find that it being blended along with gasoline in different levels of concentration ensures that consumption of petroleum gets reduced and it will also lessen pollution in the air.

The advantage of using ethanol fuel lies in it being a particulate-free burning fuel source which forms carbon dioxide and water through clean combustion and it produces less carbon monoxide than gasoline. However, some of the benefits of clean environment using ethanol fuel are negated when one considers the pollution that producing ethanol creates and many environmentalists have objected to modern farming practices, especially factory farming. This would lead to substituting automobile pollution with

Flexible-Fuel Vehicles That May Be Run On both Gasoline and Ethanol Fuel

US vehicles have different levels of ethanol fuel tolerance and vary from individual vehicle to vehicle, while in Brazil there are many flexible-fuel vehicles that can run on hydrated ethanol and also by using a combination of ethanol fuel as well as gasoline so long as there is at least twenty percent ethanol contained in the mixture. There are also some flexible-fuel cars that can also run on pure gasoline and Renault and Fiat also produce such types of cars.

To mass produce ethanol fuel, one would need to ferment sugar or hydrate ethylene from petroleum as well as some additional sources. At present, ethanol fuel is produced from crops and is a sustainable energy resource having many advantages pertaining to cleaner environment as well as long term economic benefits over fossil fuels such as gasoline or diesel. Extraction is from sugar or starch using many different crops and is mainly dependent on how much land is available as well as soil conditions and availability of adequate water and sunlight.

The prime use for ethanol fuel is in powering cars though it can also be used to drive a tractor and even airplanes and one can get ethanol engines that are customized gasoline engines which do not need many adjustments to function consistently. Though ethanol fuel consumption is a third higher than that of gasoline one may, through higher compression rates, get better power output. In the case of flexible-fuel cars, the power output is the same whether it is gasoline or hydrated ethanol driven.

If you are looking for an alternative to gasoline look no further than ethanol fuel which can be pure ethanol or be combined with gasoline in concentrations that vary according to desired levels. With anhydrous ethanol or ethanol not containing water you may find that it being blended along with gasoline in different levels of concentration ensures that consumption of petroleum gets reduced and it will also lessen pollution in the air.

The advantage of using ethanol fuel lies in it being a particulate-free burning fuel source which forms carbon dioxide and water through clean combustion and it produces less carbon monoxide than gasoline. However, some of the benefits of clean environment using ethanol fuel are negated when one considers the pollution that producing ethanol creates and many environmentalists have objected to modern farming practices, especially factory farming. This would lead to substituting automobile pollution with

Flexible-Fuel Vehicles That May Be Run On both Gasoline and Ethanol Fuel

US vehicles have different levels of ethanol fuel tolerance and vary from individual vehicle to vehicle, while in Brazil there are many flexible-fuel vehicles that can run on hydrated ethanol and also by using a combination of ethanol fuel as well as gasoline so long as there is at least twenty percent ethanol contained in the mixture. There are also some flexible-fuel cars that can also run on pure gasoline and Renault and Fiat also produce such types of cars.

To mass produce ethanol fuel, one would need to ferment sugar or hydrate ethylene from petroleum as well as some additional sources. At present, ethanol fuel is produced from crops and is a sustainable energy resource having many advantages pertaining to cleaner environment as well as long term economic benefits over fossil fuels such as gasoline or diesel. Extraction is from sugar or starch using many different crops and is mainly dependent on how much land is available as well as soil conditions and availability of adequate water and sunlight.

The prime use for ethanol fuel is in powering cars though it can also be used to drive a tractor and even airplanes and one can get ethanol engines that are customized gasoline engines which do not need many adjustments to function consistently. Though ethanol fuel consumption is a third higher than that of gasoline one may, through higher compression rates, get better power output. In the case of flexible-fuel cars, the power output is the same whether it is gasoline or hydrated ethanol driven.