| Home Subject index List of Articles Random Thoughts and Other Writings Mel's Irregular Blog Picture of the day Homonym Homilies Related Articles Interesting Links Reader Weekly Green Car >> Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFV) |
Ethanol
vs. Gasoline, A Changing Marketplace
Melvyn D. Magree Originally published in Reader Weekly July 6, 2000 In a previous issue I discussed the low-key move to encourage greater use of ethanol as a substitute for gasoline. I promised to discuss some of the issues in comparing ethanol and gasoline. The more I looked into it, the harder comparisons became. It seems that those who take an optimistic view of the current status think gasoline is better and have the facts to prove it. Those who take a pessimistic view of the current status think ethanol is better and have the facts to prove it. Probably the only people with a neutral view are refiners, distributors, and retailers; they will provide what the market wants. Some of the personal and public policy issues to consider in choosing either fuel include environmental impact, cost, ease of use, ease of production, and long-term availability. The biggest consideration for fuel choice is environmental impact; what does the use of a fuel to do our air, water, and land? Air quality is the biggest consideration within this group. The use of fossil fuels puts carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, benzene, and unburned hydrocarbons into the atmosphere. Critics say that the net effect of any reductions in these emissions by using ethanol as a fuel is lost because of the agricultural production of ethanol including the use of fuel for tractors. Supporters point out that there is a net loss of atmospheric carbon dioxide because the plants absorb carbon dioxide. The release of nitrogen oxides from fertilizer production and use can be reduced by better farming methods. And of course, if farmers used ethanol or soy diesel in tractors, the effect of emissions from production would be reduced. Critics say that ethanol production would reduce the amount of cropland available for food use. Pimentel writes that seven times as much land is needed to fuel a car with ethanol as is needed to feed one person. He also writes that if all cars were fueled with ethanol that five times as much cropland would be needed than is currently or potentially available. Supporters point out that the residue from ethanol production has 15% more food value for animals than the raw input. In other words, ethanol could be considered a byproduct of animal feed. Although ethanol producers use mostly corn, other plant products could be used including forestry scrap and newsprint. Tanker spills, either leaks or major sinkings, may be a very small bit of pollution compared to the large quantities of oil that are used. But if you are a hotel owner with a ruined beach or a commercial fisherman whose best fishing grounds have been destroyed, it is a very large “bit” of pollution. The relative costs of ethanol seem to range from a very poor competitor to gasoline to an excellent competitor. One measure of cost is net energy derived; that is, the amount of energy available for use after production and transportation should be greater than the amount of energy used in production and transportation. Pimentel claims that the energy available from ethanol is only 59 percent of the energy needed to produce and transport it. Other figures range from 200 to 1000 percent! Probably the best analysis is by Shapouri, Duffield, Graboski which states a figure of 124 percent. Another measure of cost is the dollar cost. Not all forms of energy cost the same per unit. For example, once capital costs are amortized, wind and solar energy are free. In the case of ethanol production, one stage can be done with direct solar energy, at least for small batches. Like so many goods, the external costs of energy like environmental costs are often not factored into the calculations. In addition to the environmental costs, very little attention is paid to military and diplomatic costs of goods. What is the cost per gallon of gasoline to maintain the security of sources of supply and the shipping of oil? What is the cost per gallon of all the diplomatic maneuvering when OPEC meets? Does anybody really know? Here’s a little zinger. Cuba is a major producer of sugar. Sugar cane is the most efficient feedstock for ethanol. How would diplomatic relations change if Cuba became an exporter of ethanol? Gasoline by far has the greatest ease of use. Except for Diesel fuel, gasoline has more energy per weight or volume and the greatest range of use. Ethanol provides better performance but drivers would have to refuel about one-third more frequently. Gasoline has a far wider range of operating conditions, especially in winter. We’ll have to wait a few years to see how well the manufacturers of flexible fuel vehicles solved these problems for Minnesota. Ease of use also includes local availability. Currently gasoline or Diesel fuel are the only choices for many drivers. This will change as the demand for ethanol increases. It was only a few years ago that Diesel fuel was available at very few stations. As more pickup trucks with Diesel engines were sold, the green Diesel signs appeared on a larger number of stations. Ethanol has gasoline beat hands down for ease of production. You can even make it yourself! However, be forewarned that although it may be simple in theory, ethanol distallation can be difficult in practice. To produce 20 gallons of ethanol a week would take several hours of your time and more space than making your own beer or wine. The Duluth Public Library does have a few books on making your own ethanol published in 1979 to 1981 and one published in 1999. Ethanol again has gasoline beat for long-term availability. The world-wide demand for energy is increasing, not only in the economically advanced countries but in the so-called developing countries. Although new sources of oil will be found, these will only meet a fraction of the increased demand. There is also a limit to the amount of cropland that can be used for ethanol production, but other sources of feedstock such as wood would push the availability of ethanol out much further. Here’s another little zinger. Would it be economically feasible to produce ethanol from kelp around equatorial islands with solar-powered distilleries? Will ethanol succeed as an alternative fuel over the next few years? The choice is yours. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Note: all web pages listed below were accessed between May 22 and June 14, 2000. All books and magazines mentioned without web addresses are available at the Duluth Public Library. The EBSCO Magazine Index at the Duluth Public Library has 101 references to “Alternative Fuels”. “Corn and Climate Change”, Ontario Corn Producers Association, http://ontariocorn.org/envclim.html. Article not available August 9, 2007. For ethanol related articles see http://www.ontariocorn.org/L2-R-ethanol.htm. “Emissions Impact of Ethanol”, Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, http://www.greenfuels.org/emissionsimpact.html. Article not available August 9, 2007. However, a search of the site for emissions yields 63 hits. “Energy and Dollar Costs of Ethanol Production with Corn”, David Pimentel, 1998, http://hubbert.mines.edu/news/Pimentel_98-2.pdf. “Estimating the Net Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol”. By Hosein Shapouri, James A. Duffield, and Michael S. Graboski. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Office of Energy. Agricultural Economic Report No. 721. Accessed from http://www.ethanol-gec.org/corn_eth.htm. “Ethanol and Air Quality”, Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, http://www.greenfuels.org/ethaair.html. Article not available August 9, 2007. However, a search of the site for "air quality" yields 24 hits. “Ethanol and the Canadian Economy”, Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, http://www.greenfuels.org/ethaecon.html. Article not available August 9, 2007. However, a search of the site for "canadian economy" yields six hits. ©2000, 2007 Melvyn D. Magree |