Blog #2

Blog #2 12/2/17

Welcome back Blogheads! this is my second block so if you haven’t read my first one make sure to check it out!

Today I’m going to be explaining the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel and talk about its current usage.

Through my studies and intense research about ethanol and its properties I believe that soon, it will replace petrochemicals as a source of fuel as ethanol, is renewable since it can be extracted the glucose found in plants such as sugarcane. the main reasoning for this occurrence is that we now have the technology to produce ethanol through the fermentation process, which proves to be a major advantage over petroleum as natural supplies of crude oil are depreciating. Ethanol is considered a renewable resource as not only will plants always be abundant in any environment, but plants can also be grown at a large scale overall contributing to ethanol production. the necessary glucose molecules are also present in dead plant matter, meaning that after plans have served their purpose, e.g., provide us with necessary fruits and vegetables etc. we can then extract necessary glucose molecules from their remains, further benefiting our societies.

Ethanol is extremely efficient due to its renewable nature and is also environmentally friendly. the carbon dioxide released due to the burning if ethanol is equal to the amount that was absorbed by the plants during photosynthesis to make sugar, therefore the plant derived ethanol does not contribute to the growing “Greenhouse effect” which is detrimentally affecting the Earth.

Ethanol can be added to petrol at a 10-20% ratio and burnt without any engine modifications needed, with the only disadvantage being a slight loss in engine performance. This is seen in most petrol stations, with E-10 (10 % ethanol) being available for purchase at a cheaper price compared to unleaded petroleum. this use of ethanol is used as an “extender”, to conserve petrol and help reduce Greenhouse emissions has been used for years on a small scale, with the Australian government encouraging its use as mentioned above (E-10). Its usage over the past 10 years has led to the decrease of Australia’s contribution to the overall “greenhouse effect” by about 2% which is an astounding number when you take in to consideration that it has only been used by a small percentage of the Australian Population. one of the major Disadvantages of ethanol as mentioned above, is the loss of engine power, which is a disadvantage for companies which thrive on this factor, such as courier companies and tow truck companies to name a few. Also, Vehicles which use diesel engines will not benefit from E-10To fix this problem new engines must be built to extract the true power of ethanol!   

That’s all for today Blogheads, in my next vlog I will be assessing the potential of ethanol t be used as an alternative fuel and the advantages and disadvantages of its use.

See you soon!!