E85 Ethanol fuel-an alternative to war with Iraq
by Greg Vanderlaan
Grown in America by Americans, E85 reduces our dependence on foreign oil. It's designed to be a fuel for automobiles and trucks.
E85 is 85% Ethanol and 15% gasoline. It's currently sold in the midwestern United States at prices equivalent to
those for mid-grade unleaded gasoline.
Automobiles using E85 fuel are available
from Ford, Chrysler, Gm and many foreign car makers.
Called flexible fuel vehicles, they can run on any mixture of ethanol/gasoline. They cost the same as gasoline only vehicles.
E85 is not yet available in California but it will be soon. The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition.
www.e85fuel.com announced on Feb 13, 2003 that it has issued a grant award of $46,300 to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and InterState Oil Company to develop an E85 fueling facility in the Sacramento, California area. The fueling facility, owned and operated by InterState, will be used to fuel 113 CDFA fleet vehicles capable of using this alternative fuel.
Here in Eureka and Arcata the stations sell gasohol which is a mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline.
Standard automobiles may be modified to run on E85. The main modification is to the computer system that runs the car. No modifications to the actual engine are needed. E85 is made from corn but it can be made from rice, potatos, wheat, sugar cane or even prunes.
E85 is nontoxic. In the event of a traffic accident during the transport of the fuel from the refinery to the gas station, no elaborate cleanup is needed. Since the fuel is grown here in the continental United States, the transportation requirements are minimal. There would be no need to use oil tankers like the EXXON-VALDEZ. Boats would be eliminated entirely from the delivery system.
The www.iowacorn.org website has maps
showing exactly where to go to get a tankfull. Most of the stations are in Minnesota (60). There are 150 stations nationwide. The closest one is in Provo, Utah.
Auto manufacturers have been making ethanol using vehicles for a very long time. In the 1880s,
Henry Ford built the quadricycle which ran on ethanol. Model Ts had a carburetor adjustment to switch between Gasoline and Ethanol.
Air pollution would be reduced by switching to ethanol. Emissions of hydrocarbons and benzene are less than gasoline. Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere but is reabsorbed by the plants that grow the fuel. One of the reasons ethanol is so popular in the midwest is its use in farm machinery. The machines that are used to make the fuel use the fuel. A byproduct of fuel manufacturing is distillers dried grain which is used for hog and cattle feed.
The country of Brazil has more than 4 million ethanol vehicles on the road. The Brazilians make their fuel from sugar cane. The government of Brazil put a lot of effort into converting their cars because they could not afford to have a lot of money leaving their country.
The US Army has been studying the use of alternate fuel vehicles and has concluded that the main problem is lack of availability of the fuel. The Vehicles themselves are available from the GSA at no extra cost, but there are very few stations that pump E85 near Army bases. The performance in Army vehicles is good. Soldiers need no extra training to use the fuel. Storage and cleanup costs are better than gasoline. The U.S. Postal service has been running its vehicles on ethanol since 1998 in Illinois.
Iraq's economy is based on the oil business. 95% of the money they get from other countries is from the sale of oil. They are having difficulty paying for the wars they had with Iran and the USA during the 1990s. Using ethanol would keep the money we spend for fuel in America.
Not everyone feels that E85 is a viable solution to our fuel problems. During a speech at HSU, Dr. Michael Moore expressed the opinion that there is simply not enough corn to fuel all of our cars. It would take cutting down half of the Amazon rainforest to have enough biomass to solve our need for energy. He is a former California government official working in energy policy and currently the chief economist of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
He also said that of all the alternative energy sources, biomass is the most attractive. Biomass is a term that refers to all energy sources that come from growing plants. Burning wood in a fireplace, biodiesel fuel from hemp, methanol from wasted sawdust and fermenting grain are all examples of biomass energy.
A film of his speech is available at Instructional Media Services.
The California Energy Comission.www.energy.ca.gov
The Kentucky Corn Growers Association.
www.kycorn.org
This ends my article for the school paper. Background information and my opinions are below.
Chevy Tahoe powerful with 85% ethanol; mpg lower
By Bud Wells
Columnist
No sooner had Colorado corn growers promoted use of ethanol fuel in a demonstration at the Colorado State Fair several weeks ago, than Chevrolet sent word that it would be providing a 2003 Tahoe flexible-fuel vehicle to Denver for testing.
Perfect timing: A clean-burning fuel containing 85 percent ethanol, made from corn, and a big new Chevy SUV that is designed to burn either gasoline or the 85 percent ethanol.
I spent a busy week aboard the vehicle – 320 miles with regular unleaded gasoline in the tank, and 230 miles with 85 percent ethanol (diluted a bit more by a gallon or two of gas remaining in the tank when I refueled).
Powerwise, the higher-octane ethanol compared very favorably with the gasoline, maybe even a little stronger at midrange torque. A stopwatch showed it as quick, maybe slightly quicker, from 0 to 60 with ethanol than with gasoline. It seems a bit slower off the line, but by 35 miles per hour, it is performing powerfully.
Fuelwise, the ethanol failed to keep pace. I averaged 15.8 miles per gallon overall with gasoline, and 12.8 with the ethanol. The lower mpg is because there is less energy in ethanol than in gasoline.
The E85 fuel, so named because it contains 85 percent ethanol, can be found at eight service stations in Colorado, including one at Broadway and Alameda in Denver, where I paid $1.54.9 per gallon.
Only a small percentage of 2003 vehicles are designed to run on 85 percent ethanol, although every car sold in the U.S. can handle a 10-percent ethanol blend.
You needn’t even flip a switch to burn the E85 fuel in the Tahoe with the 5.3-liter V-8 engine. A special sensor has been installed to detect the ethanol/gasoline ratio and adjust the fuel injection and ignition timing to compensate for the different fuel mixtures. The fuel tank and fuel lines have been modified to withstand the more corrosive alcohol.
The 5,000-pound Tahoe with gasoline will cruise on a highway run at about 17 miles per gallon; the same run with ethanol will be more in the range of 14.5 to 14.8.
If the price comes down for E85 ethanol fuel, and, predictably, it will as production goes up, there are several reasons to use it, even facing the fact the mpg will be lower. The power is comparable (octane rating is 105 to 107 with E85), and emissions are lower. E85 is cleaner burning because it has the highest oxygen content of any fuel on the market. And it is a boost to Colorado corn growers. One bushel of corn produces about 2.7 gallons of ethanol.
“The opportunity to breathe clean air ought to be worth 2 to 3 miles per gallon,” said John Cevette, executive director of the Colorado Corn Growers Association.
Ford Minivans Using E85 Ethanol Fuel Are Tested by U.S. Postal Service In Illinois, Iowa, D.C.
9 February 1998
Ford Minivans Using E85 Ethanol Fuel Are Tested by U.S. Postal Service In Illinois, Iowa, D.C.
DEKALB, Ill., Feb. 9 -- Over the United States, more ethanol-
powered vehicles are moving on the roads and highways, and here in the heart
of Illinois' corn country, it's the Ford Windstar minivan that is drawing
attention.
The Ford minivans are being used by the U.S. Postal Service in a test of
vehicles powered by E85, a clean-air fuel made of 85 percent ethanol and 15
percent conventional gasoline.
"Neither rain, nor shine nor air pollution will keep the Postal Service in
DeKalb from delivering the mail," said John Diedrich of the Illinois Corn
Growers Association.
Diedrich said the Illinois test could lead toward expanding ethanol clean-
air technology throughout the U.S. postal system. Similar tests are now being
conducted in Des Moines, Iowa, and Washington, D.C.
"This is a positive development for Illinois because we are a large
ethanol-producing state," Diedrich said. "The Postal Service fleet has a
total of 250,000 vehicles, so there is a lot of potential for expanding this
program.
"Expansion means less pollution, more jobs and a stronger economy," he
said.
The E85 minivans used in the Illinois test project are flexible-fuel
vehicles, which can operate on any combination of ethanol and gasoline up to
the E85 level without any modification.
Illinois is the largest producer and consumer of ethanol fuel in the U.S.
As a major corn-growing state, Illinois puts 274 million bushels of corn, or
17 percent of its crop, into ethanol production.
Motorists in Illinois and other states have long used a gasoline blend
containing 10 percent ethanol, but E85 is being promoted as a more effective
fighter of air pollution. E85 is targeted particularly to urban markets with
air quality problems.
In addition to the Windstar minivan, Ford sells its Taurus sedan with E85
technology. Ford plans to manufacture 250,000 new flexible fuel vehicles over
the next four years, including production of an E85 Ford Ranger pickup truck
for model year 1999.
Meanwhile, Chrysler has joined the E85 parade, making its E85 engine
standard in 1998 minivans. Together, Ford and Chrysler expect to manufacture
more than 250,000 E85 vehicles in the next two years.
SOURCE Fuels for the Future
my opinion...E85 FUEL IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO ARAB OIL. 85% ETHANOL (whiskey) it is currently for sale in the USA midwestern states. GROWN IN AMERICA, BY AMERICANS... No war in iraq is needed if we just run our cars on MOONSHINE
!!! The arabs will be free to seek lucrative careers as CAMELHERDs. The drawback to simply putting corn squeezins in the gastank is that... PROFITs FOR OIL COMPANIES WILL DECREASE. Owners of OIL companies will be hurting... Our president SHRUB (small bush) is currently proposing to spend 20 BILLION dollars to fight a war with IRAQ to protect his OIL Business. Let these people like BUSH and SAADAM WHO's SANE? just stick their OIL WELLS where the sun don't shine. There are people in IOWA that would just LOVE to sell more corn based ethanol. THEY SAY "Go ahead, drive all that you want, WE'LL JUST GROW MORE CORN"... It is possible to make ethanol out of RICE, POTATOs, even PRUNES! Farmers in California could grow rice and put it right into your gastank without having to ship the fuel halfway around the world. NO NEED to use a ship like the EXXON VALDEZ to move fuel long distances... just grow it in CHICO. According to the EPA, ethanol is not toxic when spilled on the ground. If a tanker truck had an accident while driving the fuel to market it would not be a catastrophy. Us "good old boys" would just stand downwind and get a good buzz on. Actually, a person should not drink E85 fuel because it contains 15% gasoline. THAT STUFF IS POISON!CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...I collected a lot of documents from the EPA, DOE, Iowacorn.org and Kentucky corn growers association...THIS IS CURRENTLY A BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY... AHH! a simple, engineering solution to a complex problem. I remember when the oil wells of Kuait were on fire and they burned for 7 months. The smoke was so bad that it was visible from outer space... An ecological disaster of Biblical proportions... TOTALLY unnecessary... We have the technology... PUT A DRUNKEN TIGER IN YOUR TANK!
With mass production of some E85 compatible
vehicles, OEMs can offer these vehicles at the same
prices as comparable gasoline vehicles.
Vehicles can be converted to run on E85 if the conversion is done by a converter who has been certified by the EPA. Unfortunately, certification is an expensive and time-consuming task, so few companies have done it. EPA regulations were recently changed to have more control over vehicle conversions. While this may make things more difficult for the consumer, it guarantees higher quality conversions which meet all applicable emission standards. We are trying to avoid problems of the early 80s, when many vehicles were converted to run on cleaner fuels, but the conversion was not done properly and the vehicles actually ran poorly and cause more pollution.
Please note that while vehicle conversion may be a difficult option, there are more E85 flex-fuel vehicles available from the major manufacturers than for any other alternative fuel. And these vehicles rarely cost more than the gasoline version of the same vehicle. If you are interested in a sedan, van, SUV or pick-up, there are several E85 FFV models available. The original engine manufacturers have been making FFVs for a number years now, and so these vehicles are also available in the used car market. Consider this when you make your next vehicle purchase, and be sure to let your dealer know that you are interested in ethanol.
I hope this information helps to clarify the AFV conversion question.
Thank you,
Deborah Adler
EPA Alternative Fuels Coordinator
This email was written to NEVC Director of Communications, Michelle Saab.
I was wondering if you could help me with a question. This morning I mistakenly put in E-85 in my 2000 Buick Regal, 8 gallons. The clerk told me to add as much regular fuel as I could, and that was only 4.5 gallons. What are the consequences to the car? Will this ruin the engine?
Thank you for any help you can offer.
Heather
Dear Heather,
Although your vehicle was not manufactured to run on E85, no problems should occur if you inadvertently add a small amount of alternative fuel such as E85. The largest difference between an E85 powered vehicle and a gasoline powered vehicle is that the computer within each vehicle is meant to read different amounts of oxygen within the fuel. E85 contains a higher amount of oxygen than gasoline and E85 compatible vehicles are made to read that higher amount. When a higher amount of oxygen is read by a gasoline powered vehicle, your "check engine light" may come on. However, in our experience with this matter, your vehicle should operate just as it will with gasoline. Actually, there are many people that have contacted the NEVC and said that they have consistently run E85 in their gasoline powered only vehicle and that it runs even BETTER than it does with gasoline. We do not advocate or condone the use of E85 in a gasoline only vehicle, but simply give an account of reports that have been received.
Thank you,
Michelle Saab
Kentucky corn www.kycorn.org
A clean-burning fuel made from renewable corn
The Kentucky Corn Growers Association is a strong supporter and promoter of the ethanol industry since most of the ethanol produced in the U.S. is made from corn fermentation. In fact, ethanol is the third largest market for U.S. corn, using more than 600 million bushels and boosting farm income as much as $3 billion in 2000, or 30 to 35 cents per bushel. More importantly, ethanol is better for the environment than gasoline, can be produced year after year without the fear of a shortage, and is produced in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Biofuels Program seeks to cost-effectively produce ethanol and other fuels and chemicals from biomass resources such as agricultural and forestry residues or fast-growing trees and grasses. This requires efficient technology to extract and use the sugars in cellulose and hemicellulose—the fibrous bulk of plant material. Developing this technology is the primary focus of the Biofuels Program and of this Web site.
Biofuels such as ethanol made from starch and biodiesel made from vegetable oil already clean our air, support rural economies, and improve our energy independence and balance of trade. We hope you will also find this Web site a useful portal to current biofuels use and to other biofuels-related DOE programs.
Ethanol
Ethanol, ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol (CH3CH2OH), is a liquid made from corn or other grains, other agricultural products or even biomass waste -- typically anything that contains carbon.
Ethanol can be used as a high-octane fuel in vehicles. More than four million cars run on the fuel in Brazil as a result of a government program to make ethanol from sugar cane. The number of vehicles using ethanol is increasing in the United States.
Ethanol's history as a transportation fuel goes back many years to Henry Ford and other transportation pioneers. In the 1880s, Ford built one of his first automobiles - the quadricycle - and fueled it on ethanol. Early Ford Model Ts had a carburetor adjustment that could allow the vehicle to run on this fuel, which would be produced by America's farmers. Ford's vision was reportedly to build a vehicle that was affordable to the working family and powered by a fuel that would boost the rural farm economy.
Recently, because of support from corn-growing states and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture, ethanol fuel and vehicles that it are increasing. Auto manufacturers began producing flexible fuel cars and pickup trucks that could use ethanol or gasoline, beginning with the 1997 model year. Currently, there are no "after-market" kits that can be used to "convert" a regular gasoline vehicle to run on alcohol fuels.
In California, however, ethanol fuel -- E85, a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline -- is not available.
An ethanol industry could be created in California. The fuel may come from biomass converted into ethanol. The ethanol produced, however, may be used as a blend stock to replace MTBE, the oxygenate that will be phased out of California gasoline by the end of 2002.
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
gasohol
a gasoline extender made from a mixture of gasoline (90%) and ethanol (10%; often obtained by fermenting agricultural crops or crop wastes) or gasoline (97%) and methanol, or wood alcohol (3%). Gasohol has higher octane, or antiknock, properties than gasoline and burns more slowly, coolly, and completely, resulting in reduced emissions of some pollutants, but it also vaporizes more readily, potentially aggravating ozone pollution in warm weather. Ethanol-based gasohol is expensive and energy intensive to produce, and can damage rubber seals and diaphragms and certain finishes if the ethanol is present in higher concentrations. Since 1998, however, many American automobiles have been equipped to enable them to run on E85, a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Methanol-based gasohol is also expensive to produce and is toxic and corrosive, and its emissions produce cancer-causing formaldehyde. See also automobile.
http://www.iowacorn.org/e85fuel.htm Questions and Answers about E85 and Flexible Fuel Vehicles
What is Ethanol?
Ethanol is alcohol used in transportation fuels. It is a high octane, liquid, domestic and renewable fuel, produced by the fermentation of plant sugars. In the United States, ethanol is typically produced from corn and other grain products, although in the future it may be economically produced from other biomass resources such as agricultural and forestry wastes or specially grown energy crops. In Iowa, ethanol is produced from corn, at 4 state-of-the-art facilities.
What is E85?
E85 is the term for motor fuel blends of up to 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline. E85 is an alternative fuel as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Why should we use ethanol?
Besides its superior performance characteristics, ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline; it is a completely renewable, domestic, environment friendly fuel that enhances the nation’s economy and energy security. Today the U. S. imports more than half of its oil, and overall consumption continues to increase. By supporting ethanol production and use, U.S. drivers can help reverse that trend.
85% ethanol can reduce pollution. Government tests have shown that E85 vehicles reduce harmful hydrocarbon and benzene emissions when compared to vehicles running on gasoline.
E85 can also reduce carbon dioxide (CO2), a harmful greenhouse gas and a major contributor to global warming. Although CO2 is released during ethanol production and combustion, it is recaptured as a nutrient to the crops that are used in its production. Unlike fossil fuel combustion, which unlocks carbon that has been stored for millions of years, use of ethanol results in low increases to the carbon cycle.
Ethanol also degrades quickly in water and, therefore, poses much less risk to the environment than an oil or gasoline spill.
What is a flexible fuel vehicle?
A flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) is specially designed to run on any ethanol blend up to 85% ethanol. Special onboard diagnostics "read" the fuel blend, enabling drivers to fuel with E85 or gasoline in any combination from a single tank. There are no switches to flip, no mixing or blending. The computer adjusts the FFV’s fuel injection and ignition timing to compensate for the different fuel mixtures.
What happens when E85 is not available?
The FFV system allows the driver to use any combination of gasoline or ethanol—from 100 percent unleaded gasoline to 85 percent ethanol. A driver can therefore use unleaded gasoline if ethanol is not available.
What are the differences in an FFV compared to a regular gasoline-only model? Are different parts used?
There is only one major additional part that is included on an FFV—the fuel sensor that detects the ethanol/gasoline ratio. A number of other parts on the FFV’s fuel delivery system are modified so that they are ethanol compatible. The fuel tank, fuel lines, fuel injectors, computer system, anti-siphon device and dashboard gauges have been modified slightly. Alcohols are corrosive. Therefore, any part that comes in contact with the fuel has been upgraded to be tolerant to alcohol. Normally, these parts include a stainless steel fuel tank and Teflon lined fuel hoses.
Does an FFV cost more than a gasoline-only model?
When manufacturers offer a flexible fuel engine as an option in their vehicles, there is no additional cost. In model year 1998, manufacturers began making flexible fuel engines standard equipment on certain makes and models, therefore with a specific model you can only get an E85 flexible fuel engine—no gasoline-only engines are available, therefore no additional cost is incurred.
What is the range of a flexible fuel ethanol vehicle?
Ethanol has less energy content than gasoline. However, E85 also has a much higher octane (ranging from 100 to 105) than gasoline. FFVs are not optimized to E85, so they experience a 5% to 15% drop in fuel economy. This will vary based on temperature and driving conditions. For comparison purposes, aggressive driving habits can result in a 20% loss and low tire pressure can reduce mileage by 6%.
Research indicates Ford FFVs experience a 5% horsepower gain on E85.
The range of any particular vehicle is dependent on the size of the fuel tank and driving habits. Current Ford Taurus FFVs have an 18-gallon fuel tank and will normally travel 350 miles between refuelings.
Can a car be retrofitted or converted to use E85?
We do not recommend the conversion of a gasoline-only vehicle to operate on E85. FFVs that come with original equipment from the manufacturer have the same warranties as gasoline vehicles and they are specially suited to use E85 as efficiently as possible and to burn cleaner.
Are repairs and maintenance costs for FFVs any different than they are for gasoline?
No, the costs are roughly the same as regular auto repairs and maintenance. An FFV does run cleaner and, therefore, some maintenance costs may actually be reduced in the long run. One FFV model line still required a special, higher-lubricating oil in model year 2000.
How much ethanol does the U.S. have?
Today, U.S. ethanol producers have the capacity to produce nearly 2 billion gallons each year. Ethanol is a renewable resource that is primarily made from corn, other grains and waste products.
Will we deplete human and animal food supplies by using corn and other grains for fuel production?
No, actually the production of ethanol from corn uses only the starch of the corn kernel, all of the valuable protein, minerals and nutrients remain. One bushel of corn produces about 2.7 gallons of ethanol AND 11.4 pounds of gluten feed (20% protein) AND 3 pounds of gluten meal (60% protein) AND 1.6 pounds of corn oil.
Does it take more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than the energy we get out of it?
No. Current research indicates an approximate 38% gain in the overall corn-to-ethanol process and use of that ethanol for fuel. Corn yields and processing technologies have improved significantly over the past 20 years and they continue to do so, making ethanol production less and less energy intensive.
What is the octane rating of E85 compared to gasoline?
Regular unleaded gasoline has an octane rating of 87; E85 has an octane rating ranging from 100-105 making it a high performance fuel. Ford FFVs produce a 5% horsepower gain when using E85.
Is E85 more toxic or dangerous than gasoline?
No. 100% ethanol can be and is ingested by human beings. The fuel ethanol must be "denatured" with gasoline or a bitter agent to prevent ingestion. Also, ethanol does not contain the harmful carcinogens and toxins found in gasoline.
If E85 is spilled on the ground, can it contaminate ground water?
Ethanol is water soluble, non-toxic and biodegradable. E85 contains roughly 80% less of the potential contaminates found in gasoline.
Will I hurt a gasoline-only vehicle if I use E85?
Yes. Longer-term use of E85 in gasoline-only vehicles may cause damage because of the incompatibility of the alcohol fuel with the parts in gasoline-only engines. Performance and emissions will also be compromised.
What is the price of E85?
As is the case with all forms of fuel, the larger the number of outlets, typically, the more competitively priced is the fuel. E85 is priced to be competitive with 87-octane gasoline. In Iowa, prices typically range about 8-10 cents more than regular unleaded.
www.iowacorn.org
corninfo@iowacorn.org
distillers dried grain is a byproduct of ethanol factory.
used as cattle feed.
www.e85fuel.com
