Ethanol Gas

Ethanol is an organic chemical known as ethyl alcohol that is the kind of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. Ethanol gas finds use as a biofuel additive for gasoline. Brazil and United States are the largest fuel consumers of ethanol as a source of alternative energy. The Brazilian government made it mandatory to blend ethanol and gasoline in 1976. In Brazil, the legal blend is about 25% ethanol and 75% gasoline. Currently, Brazil has over 10 million vehicles that are flexible-fuel vehicles and use neat ethanol fuel also called as E100.

Ethanol gas is a source of renewable energy and can be manufactured from common crops like sugar cane, corn, and potato. It is an alternative energy source because the energy is produced by a natural resource like sunlight. Ethanol is produced by fermentation of sugars, and the water content must be removed by a process of distillation before it is used as a fuel.

United States is the leading producer of ethanol gas. Oregon was the first state in the country that required all gas stations to sell gasoline that contained at least 10 percent ethanol. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has allowed for blending higher concentrations of ethanol gas into gasoline from its current maximum blend of 10 percent. The EPA is deciding whether to allow gasoline with 15 percent ethanol in cars manufactured 2011 through 2006. Major vehicle manufacturers such as Ford, Chrysler, and GM now sell flexible-fuel vehicles that can run efficiently on gas and ethanol blends.

Germany, Sweden, France, and Spain are the largest consumers of ethanol in Europe. Sweden is the leading country in Europe to use ethanol gas as fuel. It is also widely used in Asia and Australia. Large areas of land are required for cultivation of crops to produce ethanol. Ethanol production in the US will shift the need for our dependency on oil from foreign countries. Energy for ethanol production comes from coal and natural gas. It is estimated that US ethanol production has caused gasoline prices to be $0.40 per gallon less than would be otherwise.