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Ethanol Emily Richards
Source of Energy • Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from various plant materials. The use of ethanol is widespread—almost all gasoline in the U.S. contains ethanol in a low-level blend. Ethanol is also available as E85—a gasoline-ethanol blend containing 51% to 83% ethanol, depending on geography and season. • Corn is only one source of ethanol. As we develop new, cost-effective methods for producing biofuels, a significant amount of ethanol will be made from more abundant cellulosic biomass sources.
Cost • $4.18 per gallon ethanol • ~$3.20 per gallon gas • 12 billion gallons of corn ethanol has the btu equivalence of 9 billion gallons of gasoline -- roughly 6.5% of the U.S. gasoline supply of 140 billion gallons.
Availability • Renewable resource • Less emissions produced than gasoline
Use • Can be used to replace gasoline • Ex: Can be used in cars
Advantages • Biofuels have the potential to significantly reduce global GHG emissions associated with transportation • Greenhouse gas emissions will decrease dramatically as biofuels of the future • Each gallon of ethanol produced from corn today delivers one third or more energy than is used to produce it. • Ethanol readily biodegrades without harm to the environment, and is a safe, high-performance replacement for fuel additives such as MTBE.
Disadvantages • Ethanol delivers less energy than gasoline on a gallon-per-gallon basis • Not as commonly used, expensive to make it more available to the public
Works Cited • http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/news/archives/documents/Myths_and_Facts.pdf • http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/ethanol_benefits.html • http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=tl_ethanol • http://www.ethanol.org/