Ethanol Fuel Benefits
1. When you consider shifting to a renewable fuel, ethanol automatically comes to mind because it stands out due to the great benefits it provides. Renewable fuels are those that can be produced year after year and you do not rob the earth of its valuable resources whereas crude oil, when extracted from the earth, slowly depletes earth’s resources. Crude oil doesn’t come from a perennial source whereas ethanol can be extracted from crops that are grown time and again.
2. Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are things alien to ethanol. Compared to petroleum-based gasoline, ethanol fuel contains more oxygen and hence burns completely and doesn’t add up to the global warming dilemma. The fact of the matter is greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 46% with ethanol. Studies also show that if there is a 10% ethanol in your gas tank, the greenhouse gas emission is reduced by 19%.
3. When water and ethanol come into contact with each other, ethanol exhibits a unique chemical quality of separating and hence the question of water pollution does not arise. Another factor is that ethanol is biodegradable and this strengthening the supposition that it won’t pollute ground water.
4. Making ethanol is cheaper than making gasoline. If you convert vehicles into flex fuel vehicles, you can save innumerable gallons of fuel every year.
5. The good thing about ethanol is that today’s vehicles can use it and the present-day fuel distribution infrastructure can handle ethanol distribution as well. Use of ethanol can easily integrate well with the present day’s technological scenario. Traditional gasoline and ethanol can be blended and used in almost all the vehicles including hybrid vehicles.
6. Another great benefit: the use of ethanol supports local farmers and economies whereas when gasoline is used, you help big and particularly overseas companies earn.
7. Import of oil from oil producing companies abroad and dependence on them can be reduced if you use ethanol. Ethanol and ethanol blends will help the economy grow by shedding our dependence on imported oil.
8. The beauty of ethanol is that it can be produced from any biological source, though at present, it is produced from corn and sugar cane. The technology is still evolving. Research is on to produce it from waste products like unusable portions of crops. Once this technology is perfected, there will be an authentic alignment of nature and technology and the enormity of the change will be tremendous.
