5 Things You Need to Know About Alcohol Fuel

What are Alcohol Fuels?

Ethanol and methanol are alcohol fuels. While both have been explored for motor vehicle use, it's ethanol that's really the alcohol fuel of choice today. Ethanol is a water-free, high-octane alcohol that is produced by sugar or starch fermentation. Ancient fermentation processes are still used to create ethanol from grain or renewable agricultural feedstocks. A yeast enzyme is introduced to change the sugar into ethanol. Ethanol is most commonly found blended in reformulated gasoline at 5% or 10% concentrations. Methanol is typically made by reforming natural gas, a fossil fuel.

The Benefits of Alcohol Fuel

Considering the main resource for alcohol fuel is grain like corn, it is a completely renewable resource. Compared to oil, which has a foreseeable end to its future, a single acre of corn can provide as much as 300 gallons of ethanol. Alcohol fuel is highly concentrated with oxygen, which makes it s much cleaner-burning energy source for vehicles. A cleaner-burning fuel means fewer emissions to impact the atmosphere and lower levels of ozone and pollutants. Overall, it has no permanent negative side effects for the environment. While alcohol fuel itself has no real byproducts, the production process can create them in forms of grain meals and some amino acids that are left over once the alcohol fuel is formed. These byproducts are not waste, but simply excess and can be used for food production for people and animals.

Corn for Fuel vs. Corn for Food

Despite its many benefits, ethanol does have vocal critics. Many would point to a serious short-term downside, claiming that the use of corn to create ethanol consumes an important feedstock that is otherwise used to feed people. Farmers growing corn for ethanol production correctly point out, however, that the type of corn produced for ethanol is used for animal feed, not for human consumption. This type of corn is consumed indirectly since it's also used for corn sweeteners, corn syrup, and corn starch that's widely used in the food industry. This controversy will pass since much research is being devoted to creating ethanol from biomass sources like fast-growing woody grasses, and ethanol production will ultimately move on from using corn to largely using biomass sources. Being a sustainable resource that can be grown in most environments, alcohol fuel will reduce or discontinue our reliance on foreign oil and can benefit local farmers which could help boost local and national economies.

How Ethanol Can Be Used in Cars

Ethanol can be mixed with traditional gasoline and burned without modification in standard internal combustion engines in low concentrations, typically under 10 percent (as it's used in reformulated gasoline). Greater percentages can be tolerated in flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) made to run on any mixture of these two fuels from the same tank. FFVs have modifications like hardened valves, more alcohol tolerant fuel system components, and an alcohol sensor that determines the exact mix of ethanol and gasoline being provided an engine in real time. On-board computers then optimize engine settings to run most efficiently on this alcohol/gasoline fuel mix. While vehicles can also be made to run on 100 percent, or "neat," ethanol alcohol, the standard ethanol motor fuel is "E85," so-called because it's 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Pure ethanol fuel poses cold-start issues and also burns with an invisible flame, which is a potential safety hazard; the addition of this small percentage of gasoline overcomes these challenges. Vehicles operating on ethanol have decreased driving range because of ethanol's lower energy content.

Alcohol Fueled Cars Exist Now

There are over 30 different model flexible-fuel vehicles available now that run on up to E85 ethanol. These are available in popular models that range from family sedans to SUVs. In fact, there are over six million late model FFVs on the road today and many more being made every year. With the majority of these regularly running on gasoline because the public fueling infrastructure dispensing E85 is sparse - just 1,450 stations nationwide - there's a huge potential market just waiting for ethanol fuel when it's available conveniently across the nation and drivers are aware of its availability.

Tracie Close is a freelance writer for print and the web on eco-friendly topics. Her articles have been published in Saving American Manufacturing, Philadelphia Style Magazine, and High Tech, High Touch. She also has contributed numerous articles about green living for eHow.com.