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Q. What is ethanol?
A. Ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, is a clean-burning biofuel created
from corn or other starch or sugar-based feedstocks. It can be
blended with unleaded gasoline in amounts up to 85%.
Q. What are ethanol’s benefits for
drivers?
A. Ethanol is a high-octane fuel that keeps an auto’s fuel
system clean for optimal performance because it does not leave
gummy deposits. It also serves as a natural gas-line antifreeze.
Ethanol-blended fuels are approved under the warranties of all
auto manufacturers marketing vehicles in the United States today,
and all mainstream manufacturers of power equipment, motorcycles,
snowmobiles and outboard motors permits the use of ethanol blends
in their products.
Q. What are ethanol’s benefits for
the environment?
A. Ethanol is a renewable fuel produced from plants, unlike petroleum-based
fossil fuels that have a limited supply and are the major contributor
carbon dioxide emissions. The use of 10% ethanol blends reduces
greenhouse gas emissions by 12-19% compared with conventional
gasoline. Ethanol reduces tailpipe carbon monoxide emissions,
toxics content and fine particulate matter. It is also rapidly
biodegraded in surface water, groundwater and soil, and is the
safest component in gasoline today.
Q. What are ethanol’s benefits for
the economy?
A. In 2005, the ethanol industry supported the creation of more
than 153,725 jobs in all sectors of the U.S. economy, boosting
U.S. household income by $5.7 billion. Those numbers will explode
as the industry grows to meet national production goals, which
are currently to triple production in the next six years. Ethanol
also replaces costly foreign oil imports in the nation’s
energy market.
Q. What are the most common blends of ethanol?
A. Ethanol is most often blended at a 10% rate, which is widely
available and covered under warranty by every automobile manufacturer
that sells vehicles in the United States for every make and model
of automobile. The second blending rate that is growing in popularity
and usage is E85 (85% ethanol, 15% unleaded gasoline). It can
be used in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), which are made by DaimlerChrysler,
Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercury, Isuzu and Mercedes. Check
inside the gas tank door on your vehicle to see if it is an FFV
or go online
Q. What does the future hold for ethanol?
A. Ethanol’s future is bright, as the nation looks to replace
foreign oil in a highly-charged energy market. A nationwide Renewable
Fuels Standard was passed in late 2005 mandating that the nation
reach a level of using 7 billion gallons of renewable fuels by
2012, with more legislation now being proposed to boost that requirement
to 12 billion gallons by 2012.
Information courtesy of Renewable Fuels Association, www.ethanolrfa.org.
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