Ethanol is a superior alternative fuel to gasoline and that ethanol could potentially replace oil as the national energy source in America

Introduction

With increasing uncertainty in the global fuel market, the search for gasoline substitutes is becoming more and more important. One viable option is using ethanol as an alternative fuel, unlike fossil fuels, it is a renewable energy source. There are many chemical compounds that make up ethanol; the molecules contain a hydroxyl group, and are bonded to a Carbon atom. Ethanol that is made from cellulosic biomass instead of the usual starch crops is known as Bioethanol. Ethanol is in a liquid state, and is clear and colorless. As a diluted aqueous solution, it has a somewhat sweet flavor, but in more concentrated solutions, it has a burning taste (Swanson, 96).

The shift toward ethanol-based fuel has positive social, economic, and environmental effects. The combination of better efficiency with cleaner emissions yields makes it a promising future source of fuel. For transportation, ethanol can be blended with petroleum-based gasoline or can be used on its own. It has a chemical component that consists of ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, and EtOH; it is also ethane with a hydrogen molecule replaced by a hydroxyl radical. When ethanol alone is used as fuel, it is mixed with a small amount of water, usually 5 percent of the total mixture (Schneyer, 63).

Sources And Production Processes

Ethanol is derived from several sources. Food products such as corn, wheat, sugar cane, and rice are all viable candidates for ethanol production. Ethanol is produced through the fermentation of the sugars supplied from these foods. Materials used in ethanol production are wood chips, yard waste, crop residues, and solid animal waste. It can be made from just about any feedstock that has ample amounts of sugar, or materials that can be converted to sugar, such as sugar beets, sugar cane, or organic materials containing high levels of sugar such as starch and cellulose. Corn is widely used to produce ethanol (www.cbsnews.com).

There are certain elements that are not as easily converted to sugar, such as trees and grasses, which are made of cellulose. Ethanol is also made from a wet-milling process. Many larger ethanol producers use this process, which also yields products such as high-fructose corn sweetener. These other materials are viewed as potential sources of low-cost ethanol production, because corn may not always be practical for ethanol because land needed to grow corn is needed for food and feed corn.

There are several ways to produce ethanol. One method is to convert lignocelluloses materials to ethanol. This method involves two processes. The first step is the hydrolysis of cellulose in the lignocellulosic materials to fermentable reducing sugars. After hydrolysis comes the fermentation of the sugars to ethanol. Another mode of production involves cereal grains. The grains are milled, which produces amylase and heat. The results go through a gelatinization process, resulting in amyloglucosidase and yeast. Next, saccharification and fermentation are conducted, and the product is heated, and then ...