Category: ethanol

There is a lot that surrounds the issue of home ethanol production, and truly each and every one of these matters should be fully recognized and understood, in order for us to get a better grasp on the issue of ethanol altogether. For instance, with the matter of home ethanol production, there are so many things that need to be taken into consideration, and this is what will be discussed here.

About Home Ethanol Production

Home ethanol production is considered as being a major deal, and in regards to the matter of home ethanol production, there are some facts in particular that should really be known about, including: an acre of US corn yields about 7,110 pounds of corn for processing into 328 gallons of ethanol; the energy economics get worse at the processing plants, where the grain is crushed and fermented, and as well, as many as three distillation steps are needed in order to separate the 8% ethanol from the 92% water.

As well, adding up the energy costs of corn production and its following conversion to ethanol, it has been found that 131,000 BTUs are needed in order to be able to make only 1 gallon of ethanol; one gallon of ethanol only has an energy value of 77,000 BTU, which is considered as being certainly not good.

Furthermore, ethanol corn costs about $1.74 per gallon to produce, compared with about the 95 cents that it takes in order to be able to produce a gallon of gasoline; most economic analyses of corn-to-ethanol production truly overlook that of the costs of environmental damages, and corn production in the US alone erodes soil about 12 times faster than the soil can be reformed, and irrigating corn mines groundwater 25 percent faster than the natural recharge rate of ground water.

Therefore, there are so many questions in regards to the environment and in regards to life in general, as to whether or not ethanol is the proper choice; there are truly so many positive factors that stem from it, and yet many negative ones as well, and so this is a matter which is most certainly going to take some serious time and consideration to properly figure out.

However, there are some of the most brilliant people in the world who are looking closely into this situation right now, and so we can rest assured in knowing that the issue will be taken care of properly.

In order to properly understand the correlation between ethanol and biodiesel, one must first learn about each separately, and then they will be able to fully understand the relationship that is existent between the two matters. Ethanol and biodiesel are similar in many regards, and so all of the correlations between ethanol and biodiesel truly must be taken into serious consideration.

What is Ethanol?

Ethanol is basically a flammable, colorless, and mildly toxic chemical compound with a distinctive perfume-like odor and it is the alcohol that is found in alcoholic beverages; in more common usage, it is simply referred to as alcohol.

Ethanol has been used by humans since as far back as prehistoric times, and although it has also been used for more negative reasons, such as for explosive devices due to its flammable nature, it also has been considered as positive in means of alcohol and other products of the like; ethanol has been used as a treatment substance for as far back as prehistoric times as well, and so this is looked upon as being positive.

Not only that, but ethanol is the chemical compound which is presently considered as being what is going to take the place as our gasoline; this is an incredibly important topic especially considering the fact that we are in a raging war with Iraq and that this is where we depend on our fuel for the most part.

What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is a term which refers to a diesel-equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources, and though derived from biological sources, it must be known that it is in fact a processed fuel which can be readily used in that of diesel-engined vehicles, which thus distinguishes biodiesel from the more straight vegetable oils.

What is the Relationship Between Ethanol and Biodiesel?

In regards to the actual relationship between ethanol and biodiesel, the most important factor that must be taken into consideration is the fact that these are the two main choices that are questioned in regards to which is better for the environment overall, and which is going to be what we use for the most part for the longest period of time. Ethanol for the most part however is considered as being the better choice, and this is for several different reasons.

However, there are also many benefits to biodiesel, and so these two must be taken properly into consideration.