Ethanol energy how does it work

According to the U. The United States consumed nearly Ethanol, gasoline blendstock, and additives are delivered separately to fuel terminals where they are blended into fuel trucks for delivery to stations. Delivering ethanol by pipeline is the most efficient option, but ethanol's affinity for water and solvent properties require the use of a dedicated pipeline or significant cleanup of existing pipelines to convert them into dedicated pipelines.

Kinder Morgan ships batches of ethanol through its Central Florida Pipeline. More Ethanol Publications All Publications. More in this section Ethanol Production and Distribution Ethanol is a domestically produced alternative fuel most commonly made from corn. Production The production method of ethanol depends on the type of feedstock used. Starch- and Sugar-Based Ethanol Production Most ethanol in the United States is produced from starch-based crops by dry- or wet-mill processing. Fuel ethanol is made unfit for drinking by adding a small amount of a noxious substance such as gasoline.

Ethanol is blended with gasoline to produce a fuel which has environmental advantages when compared with gasoline, and can be used in gasoline-powered vehicles manufactured since the 's. Most gasoline-powered vehicles can run on a blend consisting of gasoline and up to 10 percent ethanol, which is available at some regular service stations across Canada.

Some vehicles are specially manufactured to operate on an ethanol blend that contains up to 85 percent ethanol and at least 15 percent gasoline. The 15 percent gasoline is needed to assist in engine starting because pure ethanol is difficult to ignite in cold weather. This E blend cannot be used in standard gasoline vehicles, however vehicles designed to run with a high ethanol blend can also operate using gasoline when necessary. E is presently used by some organizations with large vehicle fleets and there are a few commercial stations offering E85 at their pumps.

Ethanol is a renewable fuel because it is produced from biomass. Ethanol also burns more cleanly and completely than gasoline or diesel fuel.

Ethanol reduces greenhouse gas GHG emissions because the grain or other biomass used to make the ethanol absorbs carbon dioxide as it grows. Although the conversion of the biomass to ethanol and the burning of the ethanol produce emissions, the net effect can be a large reduction in GHG emissions compared with fossil fuels such as gasoline.

The reduction depends on the feedstock and the production processes used to make ethanol. Low-blend ethanol from corn produces about 3 to 4 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline.

Low-blend made from wood or agricultural cellulosic materials would produce 6 to 8 percent fewer emissions compared with gasoline. Ethanol contributes to regional economic growth and job creation, particularly in rural communities. There is great potential to capitalize on ethanol fuel because Canada has the forest resources and cropland needed to support the production of ethanol feedstocks.

The development of a substantial ethanol industry would potentially mean new markets for Canadian biomass, agriculture and forestry. It would create construction and operations jobs at ethanol production plants and help strengthen and diversify rural economies. Canadian farmers are becoming increasingly aware of this new market opportunity.

Some have formed cooperatives to grow crops intended specifically as a feedstock for ethanol production. A million-litres-per-year wheat-based ethanol production plant requires around , tonnes of feed grain per year and an estimated , acres to produce the feedstock. A plant this size would consume about acres worth of production per day. The remaining starch can then be fermented into ethanol, using a process similar to the dry mill process.

The process flow diagram below shows the basic steps in production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass. Note that there are a variety of options for pretreatment and other steps in the process and that several technologies combine two or all three of the hydrolysis and fermentation steps within the shaded box.

Chart courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Lab. Ethanol Consumers Producers Retailers. How is Ethanol Made? Suite Ellisville, MO Washington D.