Ethanol – A Clean Fuel Alternative?
Photo Credit: James Jordan
Although it has been touted as a successful alternative to gasoline, some scientists and environmentalists are raising questions about the effectiveness of ethanol as a viable ‘clean’ energy option. Researchers are finding that producing and using the corn-based fuel alternative may not be as great as it sounds.
Ethanol is a type of fuel that was conceived as an alternative to gasoline. Refineries across the country create ethanol using corn as feedstock. The ethanol is mixed with gasoline to lower the amount of pure gasoline needed for fuel. This mixture can then be used in cars, trucks, and anything else that takes gasoline. The idea is that ethanol limits the amount of gasoline one has to use, and is thus better for the environment. There are a number of contentious aspects of ethanol use however.
Firstly, there are a lot of carbon emissions emitted during the production of corn. Emissions coming off of machinery and the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other things of that nature are all necessary by-products when growing and distributing corn. This clearly is not good for the environment. Furthermore, several ethanol plants have been charged with questionable practices in terms of violating environmental regulations.
To make matters worse for the ethanol industry, other bio-fuels such as soy biodiesel are proving to be less costly to produce from an environmental standpoint. As an Iowa native and proponent of corn in general, it pains me to say that ethanol just might not be the answer we are looking for when it comes to alternative fuel options.
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