It's no secret that the amount of oil on this planet is running out. It's only a matter of time before alternative means of energy must be developed, and developed on a huge scale. In order to completely replace oil as a source of energy, there is a tremendous gap to fill between current technology and the technology needed to free us from oil for good.
One of the biggest contenders to take over when oil expires is ethanol. Ethanol is similar to alcohol, is made from grain, and can propel an ethanol based engine just like gasoline can run a gasoline engine. While there are several good reasons to switch to ethanol as fast as we can, there are also some drawbacks as well. In this article I'll go over some the basics when it comes to using ethanol for fuel.
The most desirable grain to use to make ethanol from is corn. Corn has the best yield, and can create the most ethanol per acre. The biggest benefit to using ethanol is that it is purely renewable, meaning that any farmer can grow corn year after year for ethanol, without worrying about running out. One single piece of farmland can easily be turned into an unlimited source for fuel to run the world's engines.
One more powerful benefit of using ethanol as our main source of fuel is that it is clean burning. No carbon emissions, no pollution, no greenhouse gasses. Is it really possible to have an unlimited supply of clean burning energy?
Sadly, we're not quite there yet. As it stands now, creating ethanol takes time and energy. The corn has to be planted, grown, fertilized, harvested, and converted into ethanol. For one gallon of ethanol to be created, it takes about a gallon and a quarter of gasoline. If a business operated this way, they would quickly go broke.
The second major drawback to using ethanol is that for every acre of ethanol producing corn that is grown, that's one less acre of food producing corn. The world's farms are just barely able to keep up with demand as it is. It doesn't make much economic sense to set aside thousands of acres to grow ethanol when the need for food is just barely being met.
How to solve this problem? It's clear that ethanol is still in the experimental stage. Until more than a gallon of ethanol can be produced with a gallon of gasoline, or even ethanol itself, no more than a few acres should be set aside for this experimental energy. The world food demands are much more important at this time.
One of the biggest contenders to take over when oil expires is ethanol. Ethanol is similar to alcohol, is made from grain, and can propel an ethanol based engine just like gasoline can run a gasoline engine. While there are several good reasons to switch to ethanol as fast as we can, there are also some drawbacks as well. In this article I'll go over some the basics when it comes to using ethanol for fuel.
The most desirable grain to use to make ethanol from is corn. Corn has the best yield, and can create the most ethanol per acre. The biggest benefit to using ethanol is that it is purely renewable, meaning that any farmer can grow corn year after year for ethanol, without worrying about running out. One single piece of farmland can easily be turned into an unlimited source for fuel to run the world's engines.
One more powerful benefit of using ethanol as our main source of fuel is that it is clean burning. No carbon emissions, no pollution, no greenhouse gasses. Is it really possible to have an unlimited supply of clean burning energy?
Sadly, we're not quite there yet. As it stands now, creating ethanol takes time and energy. The corn has to be planted, grown, fertilized, harvested, and converted into ethanol. For one gallon of ethanol to be created, it takes about a gallon and a quarter of gasoline. If a business operated this way, they would quickly go broke.
The second major drawback to using ethanol is that for every acre of ethanol producing corn that is grown, that's one less acre of food producing corn. The world's farms are just barely able to keep up with demand as it is. It doesn't make much economic sense to set aside thousands of acres to grow ethanol when the need for food is just barely being met.
How to solve this problem? It's clear that ethanol is still in the experimental stage. Until more than a gallon of ethanol can be produced with a gallon of gasoline, or even ethanol itself, no more than a few acres should be set aside for this experimental energy. The world food demands are much more important at this time.
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