Ethanol

Ethanol
Overview:
Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel made by fermenting and distilling starch crops, such as corn. It can also be made from "cellulosic biomass" such as trees and grasses.


E10 (gasohol)

E10 (also called “gasohol”) is a blend of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline sold in many parts of the country. All auto manufacturers approve the use of blends of 10% ethanol or less in theirgasoline vehicles. However, vehicles will typically go 3–4% fewer miles per gallon on E10 than on straight gasoline.


E85

E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, can be used in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), which are specially designed to run on gasoline, E85, or any mixture of the two. FFVs are offered by several vehicle manufacturers.

Cost. Cost varies regionally. It is cheaperthan gasoline in some areas, such as the Midwest, and more expensive in others.

Availability. More than two thousand filling stations in the U.S. sell E85, and that number is increasing rapidly. Visit the Alternative Fueling Station Locator for locations of service stations selling E85.

Performance. No noticeable difference in vehicle performance when E85 is used.

MPG. FFVs operating on E85usually experience a 25–30% drop in miles per gallon due to ethanol’s lower energy content.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ethanol.shtml

History:
Ethanol has been used by humans since prehistory as the intoxicating ingredient in alcoholic beverages.
Ethanol was first prepared synthetically in 1826, through the independent efforts of Henry Hennel in Britain and S.G. Sérullas in France.Michael Faraday prepared ethanol by the acid-catalysed hydration of ethylene in 1828, in a process similar to that used for industrial ethanol synthesis today.
Ethanol has been used as fuel in the United States since at least 1908 with the Ford Model T which could be modified to run on either gasoline or pure alcohol. Henry Ford designed the famed Model T Ford to run on alcohol saying that it was"the fuel of the future". Ethanol was used well into the 1920's and 1930's to fuel cars alongside an effort to sustain a US ethanol program. Although these early efforts failed, oil supply disruptions in the Middle East and environmental concerns over the use of lead as a gasoline octane booster renewed interest in ethanol in the late 1970s. Ethanol production in the United States grew from 175million gallons in 1980 to 1.4 billion gallons in 1998, with support from Federal and State ethanol tax subsidies and the mandated use of high-oxygen gasolines.
The Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 contributed to a domestic economic crisis that made the effects of our dependence on imported oil abundantly clear. Americans waited in long lines at gas stations while the nation witnessed lost productivity,stock market declines and economic recession.
Congress responded to the petroleum shortage by passing the Energy Tax Act of 1978, which provided an exemption to the 4 cents/gallon federal fuel excise tax on gasoline for fuel blended with at least 10 percent ethanol.
In 1980, Congress followed that up by passing two additional bills, the Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980 and the EnergySecurity Act of 1980. Both measures promoted energy conservation and domestic fuel development.
In 1982, the Surface Transportation Assistance Act raised the gasoline excise tax from 4 cents/gallon to 9 cents/gallon and increased the exemption for 10-percent ethanol blended gas to 5 cents/gallon.
In 1984, the Tax Reform Act increased the exemption again, to 6 cents/gallon.
The Alternative Motor FuelsAct of 1988 created research, development and demonstration programs for both vehicles and fuels and provided fuel economy credits for automakers.
In 1990, through the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, Congress extended the ethanol tax incentive from 1992 to 2000 but decreased the incentive from 6 cents/gallon to 5.4 cents/gallon.
Through the Clean Air Amendments of 1990, Congress overtly...