Ethanol as an alternative fuel

SUGARCANE ETHANOL

What is ethanol? 


 Ethanol is  a liquid with a slight odor and is soluble in water. It is  flammable and volatile , so it evaporates easily  is an open container. Ethanol is present in many things such as the fluid that rises in the thermometer,  the alcohol that is present in alcoholic beverages and in many household cleaning products and antiseptics as well.

Ethanol is an alcohol that can be derived and distilled from plant materials such as corn an sugar. Ethanol can be used as an alcohol fuel , an alternative for the fuel that is currently being used.

Why ethanol?

 Ethanol is such a simple compound, but has several uses. It is non toxic, biodegradable and quickly breaks down into harmless substances if spilled .Ethanol can also reduce pollution , and as mentioned before it can be domestically produced from plant material . By the use of ethanol in fuel it can assist in reducing oil dependence and greenhouse emissions. 

How is ethanol produced from sugar cane?

The production of ethanol from sugar cane(crops) can be divided into  steps:

1. the sugar cane is harvested 
2. the sugar cane is crushed into small pieces , resulting in two different products: sucrose juice( water + sucrose) and bagasse( waste product, isn't necessary so is burned to produce heat that can be useful for many other products)
3.  the sucrose is then extracted from the sucrose juice to obtain a pure sample of sucrose that is void of any water (sucrose molasses)
4. Acid is added to the sucrose molasse to kill bacteria which might ruin ethanol by turning it into yeast 
5. the sucrose molasse is then transported into a fermentation chamber where it will be fermented
6. yeast is added into the fermentation chamber which helps breakdown the sugar by producing an enzyme which can break down that sugar into ethanol
7. after 2 days, a solution containing 10%-15% ethanol and 85%-90% water  is produced from the chamber
8. this solution then undergoes distillation ( a purifying process to extract a pure sample of  97% ethanol by removing water)
9. the solution ( containing  97% ethanol) then undergoes dehydration by removing that 3% of water to obtain a pure sample of 100% ethanol.

watch this video to get a better understanding of the process

 Why do we need ethanol as an alternative fuel ?
  
There is a current crisis as the amount of petroleum is decreasing , and as estimated probably won't last for long ( by 2200 there will be barely anymore petroleum left, unless changes are made). 
Petroleum is diverged from fossil fuels ( remains of dead organisms which are covered by sediments and are compressed under high pressure , and after millions of years turn into oil(petroleum) or coal) .
 An alternative for these fossil fuels needs to be found since there is a finite supply of petroleum(oil). For example in Australia there is an estimation that there is still a 10 year supply of petroleum while only  50 years for the world. Also, since it cannot be  decomposed( plastics take 1000 years to decay) . More importantly, it causes high levels of C02 emissions, which contributes greatly to global warming, and the petrol diffused from cars cause pollution as well.
The most highlighted reason to search for an alternative , is that fossil fuels take millions of years to be replaced, and we are currently running out of it. This is why sugarcane ethanol is a proper substitute. 

Now that you have a better understanding of how sugarcane ethanol is produced, you can see why sugarcane ethanol is considered a perfect candidate as an alternative fuel.
Since ethanol is a biodegradable and renewable fuel from corn and other plant materials, then there is no need to worry about ever running out of sugarcane ethanol.
   

In the image below, it can be observed the differences in both fuel sources.

Is it successful?
 Brazil is one of the very country that has initiated sugarcane ethanol  production . After the price of crude oil quadrupled within a year, Brazil realized that it had a plentiful domestic  supply of sugarcane , a staple of it's economy for centuries .
That's when the Brazilian government heavily invested in the production of ethanol, as  well as developing the infrastructure to that it can become economically viable. 
 Also,it was combined with a significant increase in domestic oil production and renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric power . 
Brazil's ethanol industry helped to free the country from vicissitudes of global oil markets. All of this encourages the choice of sugarcane ethanol.
Brazil's experience with sugarcane ethanol should encourage the whole world  to consider sugarcane ethanol as it has proved it's success in Brazil.

 What are the advantages and disadvantages of using sugarcane ethanol?
 Everything has both it's advantages and disadvantages , so what about sugarcane ethanol? 
a) it's advantages :

•      ethanol is renewable, unlike petroleum
• ethanol burns more cleanly in air than petroleum, thus producing less carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
• the use of ethanol could reduce carbon dioxide emissions, provided that a renewable energy resource was used to produce crops required to obtain ethanol and to distal fermented ethanol

b) it's disadvantages: 
   

• it has a lower heat of combustion than petroleum
• requires large amounts of land to produce crops that obtain ethanol, which will lead lead to problems such as soil erosion, deforestation, salinity and fertilizer run-off .
• major environmental problems would arise out of the disposal of waste fermentation liquors 
• all vehicle engines would require modification so that they are capable of using high concentrations of ethanol

Is it a good alternative?
    Based on all the evidence provided , ethanol seems the best alternative fuel as we are currently at the peak of our fuel supply and will soon run out  of it. Unless a better alternative is provided, ethanol remains the only choice when we run out of fossil fuels. Despite the disadvantages of ethanol , it still has several advantages which encourage the use of it . Also, furthermore research can be done to help reduce these disadvantages so that it becomes the best substitute  .

REFERENCES:

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  BRAZIL IS ONE OF THE WORLD LEADERS IN ETHANOL FOR FUEL

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CHEM, E.

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Ethanol as a Fuel - EasyChem - The Best HSC Chemistry Notes, Syllabus Dot-Points, Past Papers and Videos

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  M, T.

  Ethanol and the Environment - Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration

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  WHAT IS ETHANOL? - DUMMIES

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