Travel Menu
Bio Ethanol
Bio ethanol is produced by using yeast to ferment sugar crops such as sugar cane and sugar beet or starch crops such maize, wheat and barley to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. The alcohol is then distilled to produce bio ethanol. The diverse range of crops with differing soil and climatic requirements mean that bio ethanol could be produced self sufficiently by most countries.
It is high in octane so there is a high engine compression ratio. The higher the level of octane in the fuel the more compression is required for the fuel to spontaneously ignite. The higher octane will basically make for a more efficient engine and give a higher horse power rating. However, bio ethanol is not carbon-neutral. Although carbon is taken up by the crop in growth, extra carbon is given off when energy is used in the process of converting the crop to ethanol. So when the bio ethanol is burnt off, the total amount of carbon given off is greater than that taken in by the plant.
Petrol cars can use bio ethanol without modification, providing a blend with petrol is used. A blend such as E5 that contains 5% bio ethanol to 95% petrol could be used. However, in the UK a range of Flexi Fuel Vehicles (FFV's) have been manufactured by Ford, Saab and Volvo with modified engines that can use bio ethanol blends of up to E85, 85% bio ethanol to 15% petrol and can run on petrol alone if necessary. This is important as there are few petrol stations currently offering bio ethanol fuel.
The future of bio ethanol looks promising particularly as it is already extensively used in Brazil, the USA and Sweden.
Benefits:
- Renewable energy
- Carbon neutral
- Improved performance
- Used as a motor racing fuel.
- Biodegradable
- Less explosive than petrol