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Grain Alcohol as Renewable Energy and Automotive Fuel
Author(s) -
Scheller W. A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
starch ‐ stärke
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1521-379X
pISSN - 0038-9056
DOI - 10.1002/star.19810330102
Subject(s) - gasoline , ethanol fuel , raw material , renewable fuels , renewable energy , alcohol fuel , petroleum product , petroleum , waste management , ethanol , environmental science , pulp and paper industry , biofuel , engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , electrical engineering
With the high price of petroleum which came about after oil embargo of 1973 there has been a need to find renewable energy sources. Ethanol made from starch or sugar is a renewable fuel. A program for using 10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline was begun in Nebraska and has now become a program of national interest. This fuel mixture is called Gasohol. Gasohol has been tested in a 3.3 mio. km program and is shown to provide better fuel economy and less pollution than unleaded gasoline. In large plants using maize as raw material ethanol can be produced profitably at 36 cents/l. The byproduct cattle feed is a high protein material for feeding beef and dairy cattle. The ethanol has a value in Gasohol of at least 45 cents/l. When compared to gasoline, Gasohol saves energy. For each liter of ethanol which is blended with 9 l of unleaded gasoline there is a reduction of at least 1.23 l of crude oil usage compared to using only gasoline.