What disadvantages or advantages between Ethanol and Oil-based fuels?

Question

What disadvantages or advantages between Ethanol and Oil-based fuels?

Answer 1

Ethanol has a higher octane rating than regular gasoline. So more performance. Ethanol can be produced here as we are one of several up the top growers of corn and such. Downside, is we still could not grow enother to replace gas in this country.

Answer 2

Oil based fuels like petroleum?  Or oil based fuels like vegetable oil?   Assuming the latter...

Energy to make:

* Ethanol takes enormous amounts of energy to make, 750 BTU worth of energy to make 1000 BTU worth of fuel.  It's a total loss, except that the BTUs come from red-blooded American COAL instead of Saudi oil.

* Biodiesel takes very little energy to make from veggie oil.

Does it work in normal engines?

* Ethanol: No.  Engine's fuel system must be OBDII computer control and programmed for flex fuel.

* Biodiesel: Yes.  Works in any diesel.

Could the raw material be used as fuel directly?

* Cornstarch (Ethanol): No way.  A large diesel might be able to be designed to burn it, but never in a car engine.

* Veggie oil (Biodiesel): Yes.  Can run in a slightly modified diesel, the larger the easier.  Veggie oil is a direct replacement for bunker oil, used in ships.

Miles per gallon:

* Ethanol: about 30% less.

* Biodiesel: About 8% less than diesel, but diesel is already about 10% more than gasoline.



Can it be pipelined?

* Ethanol: No, it's incompatible.  Truck or rail only.

* Biodiesel: Yes.

Is it Hazardous Material?

* Biodiesel: No.

* Veggie oil: No.

* Ethanol: Yes.  Straight E100 ethanol is not hazmat but is liquor.  Under liquor law it must be "denatured", made undrinkable.  The denaturing agent is HazMat.  So is the 15% gasoline!

Flammability?

Ethanol: High. Gets a "3" on the Hazmat placard.  

Biodiesel: Low.  Gets a "1".

Veggie oil: Low.  Gets a "1".

Good or bad for the engine?

* Ethanol:  Corrosive and hydrophilic (absorbs water which rusts the interior of the fuel system)

* Biodiesel: Cleanses fuel lines, removes scale, better lubricant than sulfured diesel, makes inejectors last longer.

* Veggie oil: Ditto.

Answer 3

The main advantage (from a US standpoint) is that ethanol can be made from many sources. It thereby lessens our dependence on foreign oil.

Disadvantages are the costs due lack of infrastructure to make ethanol and the current use of food sources (ie corn) which could drive up food prices.

Answer 4

Disadvantages of Ethanol compared to gasoline:

- Lower gas mileage in cars

- more work intensive to produce

- volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions during production (drying of corn)

- drives the cost of corn up significantly

Advantages of Ethanol:

- lower VOC emissions when used as fuel (it's why Ethanol is used as a supplement to gasoline in smog heavy areas)

- helps our farmers

- it keeps U.S. money out of the middle east, which would reduce potential military interventions

Answer 5

Wolf Harper is my hero.