The Possible Use of Ethanol as a Replacement for Petrol - Essay Example

The Possible Use of Ethanol as a Replacement for Petrol The conversion of beets or corn into ethanol istouted by scientists today as an economically and environmentally sound solution to pressing national and global concerns. However, this is not a new revelation. Rudolf Fiesel, fifteen years after the invention named after him, was quoted as saying “The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become, in the course of time, as important as petroleum and the coal products of the present time” in 1897 (Boles, 2005). Promising future alternatives to crude oil, vegetable oil can be substituted for diesel fuel while ethanol is an effective petrol additive. Ethanol is a type of alcohol that can be made using crops such as sugar beets, wheat or corn. As a fuel additive, ethanol boosts octane and substantially reduces toxic carbon monoxide emissions. Ethanol is not necessarily less expensive to produce than gasoline and would not be cost competitive without government incentives, but proponents of the alternative fuel point to other reasons to produce and utilize it. "It could be profitable for farmers to grow bio-fuels [at a time of high oil prices]. The market for bio-fuels such as ethanol is driven by the need for security of the energy supply and the recognition that greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming,” said Margaret Beckett, environment secretary (Harvey, 2005). Ethanol has been demonstrated that it has a less severe impact on the environment than standard petrol as it releases carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned rather than carbon monoxide. As it expels fewer pollutants than petrol, it is also less dangerous to public health. Because the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel, resulting in fewer emissions. Most cars can run very well with up to 10 percent of low-emissions ethanol mixed in with their fuel. Doing so can also improve engine performance. From the economic point of view, it is thought to be good for the development of disadvantaged rural areas by promoting agriculture and manufacturing industries which creates jobs. “Furthermore it can help to reduce the dependence on oil imports and it may be regarded as a means to promote advances in biotechnology, particularly if one thinks of all the research that is going on in the biomass-to-ethanol sector. Ethanol has been promoted because it has a positive net energy balance that means that the energy contained in a tonne of ethanol is greater than the energy required to produce this tonne” (Berg, 2004). Ethanol and other bio-fuels have the “capability of transforming the UK energy economy when produced from dedicated energy crops or agricultural and forestry co-products” (British Biogen, 2003). A recent report commissioned by the Department of Transport entitled “Fuelling Road Transport” showed that “bio-fuels produced on 24 percent of the agricultural land in the UK could satisfy all the UK transport fuelling needs by 2020 and become the primary source of renewable hydrogen in the future” (British Biogen, 2003). Better for the environment and ultimately for the economy, ethanol is an intelligent alternative to fossil fuel, but why aren’t people presently filling their tanks with processed sugar beets? Is it a viable choice? Where is the UK as compared to other countries in the production and usage of ethanol and what steps are being taken to reduce the dependence on foreign oil? “Ethanol is the most widely used biofuel today. Ethanol is an alcohol, and most is made using a process similar to brewing beer where starch crops are converted into sugars, the sugars are fermented into ethanol, and then the ethanol is distilled into its final form.” (“What is Bioethanol?”, 2005). Produced by the biological fermentation of carbohydrates derived from plant material, ethanol has been made since ancient times by the fermentation of sugars. All beverage ethanol and more than half of industrial ethanol is still made by using simple sugars as the raw material. The hydrolysis process by means of acidic, enzymatic or milling process breaks down the cellulostic part of the cane, beet or corn into sugar solutions that can then be fermented into ethanol. Yeast is added to the solution, which is then heated. The yeast contains an enzyme called invertase, which acts as a catalyst and helps to convert the sucrose sugars into glucose and fructose. The chemical reaction is C­12H22O11 (Sucrose) + H2O (Water) -> C6H12O6 (Fructose) + C6H12O6 (Glucose). The fructose and glucose sugars then react with another enzyme called zymase, which is also contained in the yeast to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide. Zymase, an enzyme from yeast, changes the simple sugars into ethanol and CO2. Ethanol (C2H5OH, a group of chemical compounds whose molecules contain a hydroxyl group, –OH, bonded to a carbon atom). The fermentation reaction is represented by the simple equation C6H12O6 ­ -> 2 CH3CH2OH + 2 CO2. In the absence of oxygen, the yeast converts the sugar to ethanol. (H20 + sucrose -> 4 CH3CH2OH + 4 CO2). (ESRU, 2003). The main sources of sugar required to produce ethanol come from common crops also used for human consumption. “These crops are grown specifically for energy use and include corn, maize and wheat crops, waste straw, willow and popular trees, sawdust, reed canary grass, cord grasses, jerusalem artichoke, myscanthus and sorghum plants. Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a clear colourless liquid, it is biodegradable, low in toxicity and causes little environmental pollution if spilt. Ethanol burns to produce carbon dioxide and water. Ethanol is a high octane fuel and has replaced lead as an octane enhancer in petrol. By blending ethanol with gasoline we can also oxygenate the fuel mixture so it burns more completely and reduces polluting emissions” (“What is Bioethanol”, 2005). Vehicle engines require no modifications to run on 10 percent ethanol (E10). Flexible fuel (flex-fuel) vehicles can run on up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol blends (E85). (“What is Bioethanol”, 2005). A new generation of alcohol-powered cars entered production in Brazil in 2003, after the government decided that cars capable of burning ethanol should be taxed at 14 percent, instead of 16 percent for their exclusively petrol-powered counterparts. These "flex-fuel" cars are equally efficient with pure alcohol, pure petrol, or any blend of the two. “When the fuel tank is filled, a special computer chip analyses the mixture and adjusts the motor according to how much ethanol and how much petrol it contains” (Plummer, 2005). According to Anfavia, the Brazilian motor manufacturer’s association, 866,267 flex-fuel cars were sold in Brazil in 2005 taking 53.6 percent of the Brazilian market that year as compared to just 328,379 the year before (“More Brazil Cars Run on Alcohol”, 2006). Jean-Martin Folz, Chief Executive Officer of Peugeot-Citroën, sees a growing role for bio-fuels, which help run most of Brazils 20 million cars (Gow, 2005). The Brazilian Alcohol Fuel Programme produces alcohol to power the four million Brazilian cars on pure bio-ethanol in addition to the remaining 9 million cars on gasoline blended with ethanol (Batley, 1996). The cars that use a mixture are powered by 25 percent ethanol and 75 percent petrol. “Bio-fuels are 20 percent cheaper for consumers,” according to Johannes Lackmann, president of the German Renewable Trade Association (Gow, 2005). “Ethanol accounts for 20 percent of the countrys liquid fuel needs and has accounted for a significant savings in fossil fuel imports and Brazil’s foreign debt” (Batley 1996). In countries such as Brazil and Sweden, many cars run on 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol (Harvey, 2005). When mixed in high volumes with low volumes of petrol, a potent yet environmentally-friendly fuel, known as E85, is created. Saab is currently offering a mid-priced model in the UK that utilizes this fuel. Ford, Volkswagen, and Toyota are joining other auto manufactures in producing flex-fuel cars. The engines in these new ‘bio-cars’ automatically adjust for the blend of fuel so, if no ethanol is available, the customer can simply run on petrol at any time and in any mixture. Not surprisingly, as most service stations within the UK are operated by the oil industry and persuading them to take bio-ethanol is a very difficult venture, at the moment, bio-ethanol blended with petrol is available in the UK at a very limited number of outlets. However, in some European countries, diesels now account for more than 50 percent of new car sales. Malcolm Shepherd, Managing Director of Green Spirit points out that ethanol production use is not a pollution panacea nor can the UK eliminate its dependency on foreign oil via sugar beet plantations, but advises the nation take appropriate steps towards these goals. “If the UK diverted the entire national wheat crop to bio-ethanol, it would replace just 20 percent of demand,” he said. “I’m not suggesting for a moment that we can possibly substitute all petrol because we use massive amounts. None of these energy questions can be addressed by a single policy. But we’ve got to look at the alternatives. This is one of them” (Boles 2005). British Sugar has confirmed that work has now begun on the UKs first bioethanol production facility at Wissington, near Downham Market, Norfolk. “We are delighted to get this project underway. The team has been presented with numerous challenges along the way, political and economic, and they have successfully met them all. Site preparation work has already begun and I expect to have this plant in production early in 2007. This is the UKs first bio-ethanol production facility; the beginning of an exciting new industry, and is a clear demonstration of our innovative approach to the changing business environment in which we operate,” said British Sugar CEO, Mark Carr (Smith, 2005). The plant is designed to produce 70 million litres of bioethanol each year, utilising all of the UKs previously exported beet sugar (Smith, 2005). “The highest ethanol yields may be realized with sugar beets, particularly if calculations are based on the rather high yields that may be achieved in the EUs leading producer, France” (Berg, 2004). Source: Berg, 1999. As illustrated in the graph below, ethanol used as a fuel affects the atmosphere in a positive way. “With fossil fuel combustion, carbon dioxide emissions from passenger vehicles, buses, and trucks have reached levels that are considered problematic for stabilizing our climate and avoiding average ground temperature levels unprecedented in human history” (Edinger, Kaul, 2003). A wholesale switch to E85 would facilitate the need to increase production of domestic sugar and grain related crops on a large scale basis, thus increasing groundwater pollution due to fertilizers, the use of scarce water supplies and introducing competition with food production. Critics of ethanol point out that by diverting crops to fuel, we’re using up valuable human foodstuffs every time we make ethanol. “Were importing bioethanol from Brazil and palm oil from Asia," said David Turley, a scientist involved in a recent study conducted on growing biofuel products in the UK. “But there [are] always swings and roundabouts. If we start to expand the area of these crops in the UK, there are potentially problems with loss of diversity in farmland, and on the balance were likely to see a detrimental effect on birds” (“UK Study”, 2005). Others question the logic of taking already scarce supplies of food out of the market for fuel use in a world where many people are starving. The rising demand for grain, sugar beet or any other plant used to produce bio-fuels is pushing raw material prices higher and the need is not just coming from biofuel producers. “Theres simply not enough foodstuff available and not enough land to grow it on … E85 is good for raising awareness of bio-fuels, but on a worldwide basis it is a red herring. Eighty-five percent is not the solution … the way it has been positioned as a solution to UK motoring is naïve” (Madslien, 2006).  Critics of ethanol also claim that there is not enough land available in the UK for the growing of energy crops and that the UK would be forced to import the crops to produce it. Source: Foley, 2003 The graph shows that both the bio-diesel and bioethanol options produce less well-to-wheel emissions than Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Yet bio-fuels currently receive a higher rate of duty than road gas fuels. The deficient purity is another concern regarding the use of bioethanol. Produced from the described fermentation process, bioethanol still contains a significant quantity of water at the end of this process, which must be removed. The fractional distillation process works by boiling the water and ethanol mixture. “Since ethanol has a lower boiling point (78.3C) compared to that of water (100C), the ethanol turns into the vapour state before the water and can be condensed and separated. For blending with gasoline, purities of 99.5 to 99.9 percent are required, depending on temperature, to avoid separation. These purities are produced using additional industrial processes. Ethanol in water cannot be purified beyond 96 percent by distillation (“Alcohol Fuel”, n.d.). The UK has very limited ethanol production and is a relative straggler in taking up bio-fuels. Just 0.3 percent of the UK’s fuel consumption comes from such fuels, putting the country well behind the 2 percent recommended for this year in Europe’s bio-fuels directive and making the 5.57 percent targeted for 2010 look completely out of reach (Boles, 2005). “Critics often ask why bio-fuels must be supported by the state. If fuel ethanol is such a great product, so they say, then it surely will gain market share without any government help. This argument is very much dependent on the assumption that the energy markets that we look at work perfectly. In the energy market, and in fact, in almost any market, these conditions are insufficiently met and, therefore, an active policy approach may be justified” (Berg, 2004). Estimates vary on the cost effectiveness of ethanol versus crude oil. This factor varies, of course, with the costs of oil. Some suggest the cost of ethanol production would drop exponentially with increase of demand making ethanol a stand-alone industry while others see the need for government intervention at the onset and throughout the production process. “The opportunity costs for ethanol production from, for example sugar crops like cane or beet, is the return otherwise achievable if these feedstock were used to produce sugar. So, if policy makers decide that ethanol is a desirable good, they have to find ways to bridge the gap between the cost of ethanol and that of gasoline and they have to make ethanol production more attractive as compared to the manufacture of, say, sugar” (Berg, 2004). Government support may be in the form of agricultural subsidies or tax concessions on this type of fuel. Under the former category, actions such as “feedstock price support (which results in prices below the going market rate), capital cost support (in the form of cheap loans and debt cancellations) and income tax concessions” (Berg, 2004). On the other side, “excise tax concessions which make the product cheaper than would have been the case otherwise, so-called captive or mandated markets which ensure sufficient demand for the product, price guarantees and direct price support measures” (Berg, 2004). There is growing consensus that fuel ethanol may serve a multitude of goals that are socially desirable. There are various ways to achieve that so it is prudent to distinguish where subsidization may occur between the various stages in the production and marketing process. Public demand of the product will direct its future. At present, possibly hostile countries control the tap to oil; the life-blood of our transportation and industrial machines. “The idea of using renewable energies for fuel production also derives from regarding the mobility sector as a closed system within the global atmosphere” (Edinger, Kaul, 2003). Environment concerns will fuel the success of this alternative fuel as the economic aspects are not conducive to private business interests. If oil prices continue to climb, interest in ethanol as a fuel alternative will rise and governments will be more likely to expand their ethanol incentives. Though by some estimations, ethanol is four to five times more expensive to produce than oil is to import. Imagine; more money is involved to grow and cook plants in UK soil than to pump oil from thousands of feet below Saudi Arabian sand. This is not the case at least in Brazil as they have been at it for 30 years. “Even though ethanol gets less mileage than gasoline, in Brazil its still cheaper per mile driven. As a result, ethanol now accounts for as much as 20 percent of Brazils transport fuel market” (Luhnow, 2006). Ethanol made from sugar cane is available at 29,000 gas stations from Rio to the Amazon. Brazil says its ethanol exports will likely double to $1.3 billion in 2010 from $600 million in 2005, largely to Japan and Sweden (Luhnow, 2006). Brazil produces ethanol priced below petrol prices and makes millions from exports including to the UK. “UK supermarket retailer Tesco said it has started selling petrol with five percent bio-ethanol, from Brazilian cane sugar, one of the worlds main sources of ethanol. Supplier Greenenergy says it is 18 months away from selling British made bio-ethanol” (“UK Study”, 2005). While the UK makes painstakingly small strides towards bio-fuel uses, Brazil is far ahead leaving little excuses for the critics of the fuel. It’s a matter of priority. While other countries were busy mapping the human genome and cloning sheep, “Brazilian scientists at the Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira, a research lab funded by sugar growers, were decoding the DNA of sugar cane. That helped those select varieties that were more resistant to drought and pests and yielded more sugar content” (Luhnow, 2006). Brazil still offers tax reductions for ethanol over petrol, but profits from exports of the product while creating jobs in its production, saves consumers money at the pump and is far less dependent on the whims of a foreign government. Ethanol is win-win-win-win for those governments far-sighted enough to appreciate its usefulness. References “Alcohol Fuel.” (n.d.). BrainSip. Viewed 19 January 2006, . Batley, Sara. (1996). “Power From Biofuels.” Wind Energy Training Centre. De Montfort University. Berg, Christopher. (January, 1999). “World Ethanol Production and Trade to 2000 and Beyond.” FO Licht. Viewed 19 January 2006, Berg, Christopher. (April, 2004). “World Fuel Ethanol Analysis and Outlook.” FO Licht. Boles, Tracey and Orange, Richard. (3 October, 2005). “Where Do You Get Your Energy From?: Latest on Alternative Liquid Fuels.” The Business. British Biogen. (7 April, 2003). “UK Parliament Memorandum: Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.” The United Kingdom Parliament. Edinger, Raphael and Kaul, Sanjay. (2003). Sustainable Mobility: Renewable Energies for Powering Fuel Cell Vehicles. Westport, CT: Praeger. Energy Systems Research Unit (ESRU) writers. (February 2003). “What is BioEthanol.” ERSU. Viewed 19 January 2006, . Foley, Julie. (2003). “Tomorrow’s Low Carbon Cars.” IPPR. Gow, David. (15 September, 2005). “Petrol Prices Fuel Hunt for Alternatives.” The Guardian. Manchester. Harvey, Fiona. (17 September, 2005). “UK Farmers Urged to Grow Fuel Crops as Energy Prices Rise.” Financial Times UK. Luhnow, David and Samor, Geraldo. (2006). “As Brazil Fills Up on Ethanol, It Weans Off Energy Imports.” The Wall Street Journal. Madslien, Jorn. (17 January, 2006). “Biofuel Raises Global Dilemmas.” BBC News: International Version. “More Brazil Cars Run on Alcohol.” (11 January, 2006). BBC: UK. Plummer, Robert. (8 June, 2005). “The Rise, Fall and Rise of Brazil’s Biofuel.” BBC News: International Version. Smith, John. (19 December, 2005). “Work Begins on UK’s First Bioethanol Production Facility.” British Sugar. “UK Study Sees Biofuel Yielding Mixed Green Impact.” (17 May, 2005). Mirror. Manchester. “What is Bioethanol?” (2005). Energy Linx [online]. Available from < http://energylinx.co.uk/biomass_faqs.htm> [18 January, 2006]. Read More