...Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel that is made by fermenting and distilling starch crops, such as corn and it can also be made from “cellulosic biomass” such as trees and grasses. A majority of ethanol that is used for fuel is blended into gasoline. More than ninety-five percent of the gasoline supplied in California today contains six percent of ethanol. Flexible Fuel Vehicles, or FFVs, have been produced by United States automakers, which are resulting in a growing market for E85 fuel, eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent gasoline. (Consumer Energy Center, 2006) About two-thirds of the United States petroleum demand is in transportation and approximately half of United States petroleum is imported. With the U.S. depending so heavily on foreign petroleum supplies, we are creating a greater risk for trade deficits, supply disruption and prices changes. The Renewable Fuels Association’s 2012 Ethanol Industry Outlook calculated that in 2011 the ethanol industry replaced the gasoline produced from more than 485 million barrels of imported oil. Ethanol represents twenty-five percent of domestically produced and refined motor fuel for gasoline engines. (U.S. Department of Energy, 2013) Since ethanol has a lower energy content than gasoline, about one-third more ethanol is required to travel the same distance as on gasoline. However, a high octane rating and other characteristics, result in increased engine efficiency and performance. The cost of producing ethanol is also...
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...Ethanol Sarah Scott June 24, 2013 Ethanol is an alcohol that, when added to gasoline, can be used as a transportation fuel. It is being blended in to gasoline at concentrations of five percent to ten percent for use in motor vehicles. The main ingredient in ethanol is corn, a renewable resource that is in abundance in the United States. Brazil is the leading producer in ethanol, and vehicles there have been running on 100% ethanol for many years (consumerenergycenter.org, 2013). While ethanol seems to be the answer to renewable fuel sources, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using this product. The most obvious advantage of using ethanol is the benefits to the environment. Vehicles that are fueled by ethanol produce much lower carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide than those using gasoline (West. 2013), and because this fuel source is made from plants, the carbon dioxide it does emit is recycled back to reproduce the product. A study published by Yale University's Journal of Industrial Ecology found that GHG emissions from ethanol produced at modern dry-mill facilities are "... equivalent to a 48 percent to 59 percent reduction compared to gasoline, a twofold to threefold greater reduction than reported in previous studies." (www.ethanolrfa.org, 2013). Another great advantage is that ethanol is readily available in many countries around the world. In the United States, it is made with corn, and produced in the Midwestern states like Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois...
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...Ethanol: Is It Really the Best Option Ethanol based gasoline vehicles are becoming more and more popular, but is ethanol gasoline better than regular petroleum gasoline? Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, can be an effective motor fuel, and most of the gasoline in the US contains some ethanol (Ethanol As a Transportation Fuel). Many people everywhere are praising ethanol gasoline because it can reduce pollution, and increase engine performance. There are some facts that are not being recognized, and these facts should be brought to light. The price of corn and food products made from corn will increase from the higher demand of corn and vehicles have to use one-third more ethanol than regular gas. Ethanol gas in the end will end up costing more than petroleum gas being used now. Ethanol gas as an alternative to gas will mean that the demand for corn will become greater and greater. The use of ethanol in motor fuel has increased for years an average of twenty-five percent per year (Ethanol Cost And Environmental Factors). This year America will use 5 billion bushels of corn which will produce about 14 billion gallons of ethanol (Helman). So will farmers be able to grow the amount of corn needed for the production of ethanol gasoline and food demand? The increase in corn crops in the Midwest has added to size of the dead zone in the Gulf Coast (Miller). What if the country was to experience another serious drought, or major flood? A different method of creating ethanol would...
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...The Brazilian Ethanol Story IB 403, Section 003 Introduction: Biofuel is one of the newest and largest trends sweeping the world. Gaining interest in countries and economies, governments have announced strong commitments to biofuel programs in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy sources. Although these programs are new to many countries, Brazil has years of experience with sugarcane-based ethanol, creating a success story for others to reference. Currently, Brazil is the largest biofuel market with the United States ringing in a close second. However, Brazil’s ethanol is created from sugarcane while the U.S. uses corn to produce their ethanol. Not only is Brazil’s sugarcane-based ethanol the first renewable fuel to be cost-competitive with transportation fuel, but it is also the most economical compared to its competitors. The ethanol’s efficiency is due to the power of the sugarcane compared to corn as an ethanol feedstock, a perfect climate for sugarcane harvesting, and the large, unskilled, inexpensive labor force in Brazil. In addition, the U.S. uses almost double the amount of land to farm corn to produce ethanol as Brazil uses to harvest sugarcane to produce almost the same volume as ethanol. What is Ethanol? Ethanol is an alcohol fuel distilled from plant materials, such as corn and sugar. Ethanol is the main biofuel for transportation and Brazil is the greatest exporter globally of bioethanol. The sugar and ethanol industry in Brazil...
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...The Eight Types of Alternative Fuel There are different kinds of alternative fuels in the world at present. There are eight different types of alternative fuels which are Ethanol, Natural Gas, Propane, Hydrogen, Bio-Diesel, Electricity, Methanol and P-series. All these alternative fuels have different properties, different source used, and different vehicle's used and different impact on the environment and on the world. But one point to be noted is that even though they have different impact on environment, alternative fuels in vehicles can generally reduce harmful pollutants and exhaust emissions. Another interesting fact I found about these fuels in particular is that they can rather be domestically produced and can be derived from renewable resource but the fossil fuels which are being used today such as petroleum and diesel cannot be derived from renewable source. Once these fossil fuels will be extinct alternative fuels are the one which will come to use. I personally think that if even a small majority of the people in the world start using alternative fuels then the pollution and disease will decline and the pressure on fossil fuels, of course, will decrease. The advantages to use alternative fuels are massive. The impact of alternative fuels can have on earth, on people, on so many things is just great. Using alternative fuels can change a lot of things on earth a pollution free place. Here are some possible alternative means of propulsion for road vehicles...
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...Costs Related to Rising Fuel Costs? ECO 550 Dr. Isley Mary Thomas March 19, 2011 Are the rising food costs related to rising fuel costs? Not only does the rising costs of fuel cause an increase in prices, but the use of some crops to make biofuels also drives the cost of food up. High crude oil prices have fueled interest in finding alternative energy sources and reducing dependency on import oil supplies. The emergence of biofuels has given rise to an alternative market for a number of agriculture commodities. Fossil fuel is a general term for buried combustible geologic deposits of organic materials formed from decayed plants and animals that have been converted to crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils by exposure to heat and pressure in the earth’s crust over hundreds of millions of years. The burning of these fossil fuels is the largest source of emissions of carbon dioxide which is one of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Biofuels are transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel that are made from biomass materials. The fuels are usually blended with petroleum fuels, but can also be used alone. Using ethanol or biodiesel means we don’t burn quite as much fossil fuel. Biofuels are usually...
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...The Brazilian Ethanol Story IB 403, Section 003 Introduction: Biofuel is one of the newest and largest trends sweeping the world. Gaining interest in countries and economies, governments have announced strong commitments to biofuel programs in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy sources. Although these programs are new to many countries, Brazil has years of experience with sugarcane-based ethanol, creating a success story for others to reference. Currently, Brazil is the largest biofuel market with the United States ringing in a close second. However, Brazil’s ethanol is created from sugarcane while the U.S. uses corn to produce their ethanol. Not only is Brazil’s sugarcane-based ethanol the first renewable fuel to be cost-competitive with transportation fuel, but it is also the most economical compared to its competitors. The ethanol’s efficiency is due to the power of the sugarcane compared to corn as an ethanol feedstock, a perfect climate for sugarcane harvesting, and the large, unskilled, inexpensive labor force in Brazil. In addition, the U.S. uses almost double the amount of land to farm corn to produce ethanol as Brazil uses to harvest sugarcane to produce almost the same volume as ethanol. What is Ethanol? Ethanol is an alcohol fuel distilled from plant materials, such as corn and sugar. Ethanol is the main biofuel for transportation and Brazil is the greatest exporter globally of bioethanol. The sugar and ethanol industry in Brazil...
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...Cars were built to operate on the same kind of fuel, but now advanced technology has allowed gas stations are offering alternative fuels including ethanol, an alcohol fuel distilled from corn and sugar plant materials (Sclar, Auto Repair For Dummies). If I were to open an ethanol refinery in California, I would open one in Stockton, California. I chose this city because it is located in California’s Central valley, which is large, flat, and has productive agriculture. Because Stockton is a rural city, the ethanol industry can jump-start it by adding many jobs. Stockton is along major freeways, such as Interstate 5 and State Route 99. It is also south of the state’s capital, Sacramento, and connected westward to San Francisco. Since corn is the primary source for Ethanol and is primarily grown in the states of Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, and Minnesota, I would definitely access raw materials through Nebraska because it is the closest primary corn producing state to California and their California is the largest market state for Nebraska corn (Nebraska Corn Board). Corn growers rely upon dependable and cost-effective transportation. Even though major freeways surround Stockton, the distance between Nebraska and California is about 1,430 miles away from each other, which has a negative cost advantage for transportation of corn with trucks because their functions are primarily based on shorter distances. Instead, railroads have better cost advantages because they operate...
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...plans to move into the national market by introducing a fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles into its existing fleet. While alternative fuels are still not widely available outside major metropolitan areas, we believe adding alternative-fuel cars to our fleet in areas where alternative fuels are readily available will increase our customer base and open new markets. This is particularly true in large east coast metropolitan areas that consider themselves to be environmentally proactive, such as Atlanta, Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. With the extremely high price of gasoline, there is a much higher demand for alternative-fuel cars, so by providing an option to our customers for these types of vehicles, Lotus will be able to tap into the green minded customer markets that already exist in these cities. Our team believes that introducing this fleet into Lotus’ already existing fleet will add a new dimension to the company and provide the growth we need to compete in these new markets. Our team will explore the advantages and disadvantages of the most widely available types of fuels and automobiles. We will also discuss the economic impact this fleet will have on Lotus. After exploring these options, we will provide our Chief Financial Officer with the types of cars and fuels best suited for these markets. These recommendations will be based on the range of the automobiles and the availability of the fuels within that market. Our recommendation will take into account both the environmental...
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...the U. S. ethanol industry which research is being done even more than ever because of such high petroleum prices. According to Choices magazine the main advantage of ethanol is cost reducing as a gasoline additive and as a gasoline replacement using E85, which are motor fuel blends of 85% ethanol and just 15% gasoline. The problem is there are not enough corn crops to supply the gasoline demands. Other technologies are needed if bio-energy is going to expand its role in the national energy scene. Biomass processing could become profitable in the future with improvement in technology. The most important benefit of renewable energy systems is the decrease of environmental pollution and using up our current resources. However the role of biomass-ethanol in natural energy supply depends upon the success of fuel processing technologies and the energy price increase. Is there enough public knowledge to help promote and fund the need of modern technology that is needed to supply us with ethanol and biodiesel? “Biomass is a generic term for all vegetable material. It is generally a term for material derived from growing plants or from animal manure. The term modern biomass is generally used to describe the traditional biomass use through the efficient and clean combustion technologies and sustained supply of biomass resources using modern conversion technologies”(Demirbas,2010,para.3). There has been rapid progress with technology with converted biomass into fuel; the problem...
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...to provide access which being environment friendly and achievement of an optimum mix of primary resources for energy generation. Fossil fuels will continue to play a dominant role in the energy scenario in our country in the next few decades. However, conventional or fossil fuel resources are limited, non-renewable, polluting and, therefore, need to be used prudently. On the other hand, renewable energy resources are indigenous, non-polluting and virtually inexhaustible. India is endowed with abundant renewable energy resources. Therefore, their use should be encouraged in every possible way. 1.2 The crude oil price has been fluctuating in the world market and has increased significantly in the recent past, reaching a level of more than $ 140 per barrel. Such unforeseen escalation of crude oil prices is severely straining of the developing various economies the world over, particularly those countries. Petro-based oil meets about 95% of the requirement for transportation fuels, and the demand has been steadily rising. Provisional estimates have indicated crude oil consumption in 2007-08 at about 156 million tonnes. The domestic crude oil is able to meet only about 23% of the demand, while the rest is met from imported crude. Page 2 of 18 1.3 India’s energy security would remain vulnerable until alternative fuels to developed based on indigenously...
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...ALTERNATIVE MOTIVE OF POWER Syarifah Assyura Binti Syed Nasir, Nurul Syazwani Binti Khairul Azhari, Salmie Amira Binti Mahadi, Nor Amalina Binti Sanusi JBM1114A Abstract: In transportation, there have many power to make it moving. Petroleum and diesel is a one of famous power use by many people in their live. Many people use transport to move from origin point to another point which is to supply goods or services. Based on research, motive power is a natural agent such as water or steam, wind or electricity, used to impart motion to machinery such as an engine. Motive power make also be a locomotive or a motor, which provides motive power to a system. Nowadays, there have a multiple motive of power such as hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids fueled by gasoline, ethanol,...
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...Biofuels are in no way capable of being a permanent solution to the fossil fuel crisis that is currently facing our country, and our planet. Corn is one of the most widely produced crops in the world, yet the ethanol produced still only accounts for small percentages of the fuel being used by drivers across the world. Most combustion engines are only equipped to handle a 15% ethanol rate. It would be ill-advised to even attempt to further incorporate Biofuels into the transportation industry beyond the point at which they are used now. Disregarding the logistical problems associated with increasing the use of biofuels, the production of Biofuels is much too inefficient, and any further use of them could potentially cause economic problems, in the form of corn based products being forced to raise their prices. Biofuels could never be a permanent solution to the oil issues currently facing our country, and our planet. Because of the amount of labor, energy usage, pesticides, petroleum based fungicides, cultivation, and fermentation costs, among other things, needed to produce Biofuels, the benefit barely outweighs the means used in production. The current corn-to-ethanol production models show that it is unethical to increase the use of Biofuels made from commercially grown crops. It would just not be cost effective enough to merit an increase in the use of biofuels, when there are more ethical ways in which to utilize the crops grown throughout the world, such as battling...
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...Cellulose Ethanol as Alternative to Fossil Fuels Saint Leo University Today people are dependant almost entirely on fossil fuels as a form of energy and fuel. There is a very finite amount of fossil fuels in the grounds and it in inevitable that we will run out. For a time we thought ethanol from corn would be what took us away from our dependence on fossil fuels. Scientists are now looking into various options for alternative sources of fuel such as solar power, wind and biomass. Biomass in the form of cellulosic ethanol seems to hold the most promise as an alternative to fossil fuels for several reasons. Cellulosic ethanol is a completely renewable resource, unlike fossil fuels, and can be converted from plants, wood clippings and tree branches, even human waste in some cases (Khemani, 2008). The primary source of cellulosic ethanol is from tree harvesting and leftovers from paper mills. All of these resources can and are replaced or produced daily. The use of human waste and garbage would also alleviate some of the pollution problems of the world. There are other sources of energy that are more popular or have gotten more attention in the last few years such as wind and solar power. Wind power is feasible for farmland because it only requires a small portion of land and does not interfere with the everyday on goings of the farm; it is not feasible as a source of energy for the mass populous. There is also the fact that the wind isn’t constantly blowing to...
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...Greening Transportation Role In Tackling Global Warming What is global warming? It is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants. These gases are emitted into atmosphere mainly by human activities. Global warming has been a major concern nowadays, because the average global temperature is climbing significantly. The production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is having a heating effect on the atmosphere, and this could be very dangerous for human life. Many problems could also result from global warming. For example, the rising sea level and the rapid changes in weather patterns. Hence, people should take action and work on resolving the global warming issue. There are several solutions to tackle global warming. I would choose greening transportation as the solution due to the increasing rate of transportation sector’s emission. Greening transportation is one of the latest developments on tackling global warming. It would focus simply on decreasing negative environmental impact such as greenhouse gas emissions. The negative effects of our transportation system is large, thus, the ‘greening’ of the transportation system is vital. Most of the households own at least one car in Malaysia itself. According to (Hans, 2014), Malaysia is ranked third out of 195 countries in this world for the rate of car ownership. This is...
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