Cellulosic fuels have a
very small carbon footprint
, emitting up to 115% less greenhouse gases than gasoline (compared to an average reduction of 34% from corn starch ethanol).
How is cellulosic ethanol different from corn ethanol?
You can make ethanol from many plant sugars. … The differences between starch and cellulosic ethanol start
with the plants
. In the United States, starch ethanol is made from corn kernels. Cellulosic ethanol, however, starts with cellulose, the most abundant carbon-containing material on the planet, and hemicellulose.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using corn to make ethanol?
- Biodegradable. …
- Improved Energy Balance. …
- Lesser Greenhouse Gas Emissions. …
- Great Oil Alternative.
- Effect on Fuel Consumption. …
- Shipping and Exportation Issues. …
- Environmental Hazards. …
- Effect on Food Production.
Is cellulosic ethanol environmentally friendly?
Biofuels like cellulosic ethanol are
self-sustaining
, reliable energy sources which, in principle, have smaller net CO2 emissions than fossil fuels and bio fuels.
What are some advantages of cellulosic ethanol?
Greenhouse Gas Reduction – Cellulosic ethanol
reduces GHG emissions by 85% to 94%
compared to petroleum-based fuels. Cheap, Non-Food Feedstocks – Cellulosic ethanol production uses biomass feedstocks which are not suitable for human consumption.
Which fuel has the best energy balance?
1) Scientific evidence shows that
ethanol
has a positive net energy balance, while petroleum is a clear energy loser. In June 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its 2002 analysis of ethanol production and determined that the net energy balance of ethanol production is 1.67 to 1.
How is cellulosic ethanol beneficial for both the environment and the farmer?
Cellulosic ethanol is derived from cellulose, the main component of wood, straw, and many plants. … Fuels made from cellulosic biomass offer
the promise of dramatically lower production costs
while lessening the potential impact of production on land use and on our capacity to grow food, feed, and fiber.
What is the best source of ethanol?
Ethanol can be fermented from many sources of starch, including
corn
, wheat, grain sorghum, barley, and potatoes, and from sugar crops such as sugar cane and sweet sorghum. Because there has been has been an abundant supply of corn, most of the ethanol made in the United States is from corn.
Why is corn used for ethanol?
The value of corn as a feedstock for ethanol production is
due to the large amount of carbohydrates, specifically starch
, present in corn (Table 1). Starch can be rather easily processed to break it down into simple sugars, which can then be fed to yeast to produce ethanol.
Can ethanol be made from grass?
Cellulosic ethanol is ethanol (ethyl alcohol) produced from cellulose (the stringy fiber of a plant) rather than from the plant’s seeds or fruit. It can be
produced from grasses, wood, algae
, or other plants. … Interest in cellulosic ethanol is driven by its potential to replace ethanol made from corn or sugarcane.
What is a disadvantage of ethanol?
One disadvantage of ethanol fuel is that
it has been reported to cause engine burns and corrosion
. To be able to utilize it in a more productive way, researchers are looking to convert it into hydrogen form, which should uplift it as a formidable alternative source of fuel.
Why is corn ethanol bad?
By driving up the
price of food and gas
and causing costly engine damage, corn ethanol has been bad news for consumers. … What’s more, burning corn ethanol in gasoline releases more benzene, a known carcinogen, and other toxic air pollutants that have been linked to asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments.
Can ethanol damage your engine?
Boatyards and marine engine dealers warn that gas blended with ethanol can cause motors to stop working, ruin rubber components in the engine’s fuel system and damage engine parts. …
Why ethanol is bad for the environment?
Producing
and burning ethanol results in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2)
, a greenhouse gas. … Some ethanol producers burn coal and natural gas for heat sources in the fermentation process to make fuel ethanol, while some burn corn stocks or sugar cane stocks.
Is ethanol really better for the environment?
Overall,
ethanol is considered to be better for the environment than traditional gasoline
. … E85, ethanol-gasoline blends that contain 51% to 83% ethanol,1 also has fewer volatile components than gasoline, which means fewer gas emissions from evaporation.
What is the difference between 1st generation ethanol and cellulosic ethanol?
Whereas first-generation biofuels use edible feedstock such as corn (maize), cellulosic ethanol can be
produced by using raw materials such as wood, grass, or nonedible plant parts
.
