• Ethanol is a clear liquid with a pleasing smell. It is also referred to as ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, or ETOH.
• Ethanol is made by fermenting and distilling simple sugars by either wet milling or dry milling. In dry milling, the grain is ground into flour and is then processed without separating out the various component parts of the grain. The meal is then slurried with water. At the end of the process, the stillage is sent through a centrifuge to separate the coarse grain from the solubles. The mash is then fermented and distilled, at which point ethanol is separated out and concentrated. In wet milling, the grain is first soaked and then ground to separate the oil from the germ. The starch remaining at the end of the process can be fermented into ethanol. New technology allows ethanol to be made as well from "cellulosic" feedstocks including corn stalks, grain straw, paper, pulp, wood chips, municipal waste, switchgrass and other sources.
• An acre of corn produces around 300 gallons of ethanol a year; an acre of soybeans, about 60 gallons of biodiesel a year. In contrast, an acre of algae theoretically can produce 5,000 gallons of ethanol a year, because the algae can be harvested every day. As with cellulosic ethanol, the critical challenge is to reduce the cost below that of petroleum. (Source: National Geographic)
• The world's top producer of ethanol is Brazil, sugar being the primary feedstock.
• Ethanol is regarded as a renewable fuel as it is derived from crops or plants that utilize energy from the sun.
• Ethanol is biodegradable without harmful effects on the environment.
• Ethanol blends dramatically reduce emissions of hydrocarbons, a major contributor to the depletion of the ozone layer.
• Ethanol is a 115 octane, 15 RVP, blendstock.
Types of ethanol
• E95 : Pure ethanol, or the alcohol produced in an ethanol production facility. E95 must be denatured so humans cannot consume it. While it can be used by some vehicles in its pure form, most E95 is currently blended with gasoline for resale in petroleum markets.
• E85 : A mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, E85 is a leading alternative fuel used in the US and in Sweden. Over 5-mil autos run on E85 fuel,
and it can be purchased at approximately 600 refueling sites in the US. When E85 is not available, these "flexible" fuel vehicles can operate
on any blend of ethanol or straight unleaded gasoline.
• E10 : The most common from of ethanol, and sometimes called gasohol, E10 contains 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline. All automobile manufacturers in the US approve the use of E10. E10 is considered safe for internal combustion engines of most modern automobiles, but as of October 2006, gasoline containing ethanol or methanol is not allowed to be used in aircraft.
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