Environmental Science
15 March 2010
Senior Project Rough Draft Essay #2
Ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, (CH3CH2OH) is a renewable fuel made from biomass. Although ethanol production goes as far back as the Industrial Revolution, we still continue to develop new forms of technology for ethanol based fuel today. With concerns over our country outsourcing the majority of our fuel, and the impact these fuels have on our atmosphere, it is concluded that another energy source is needed. A new qualified biofuel has to provide a positive net energy gain, have environmental benefits, be economically competitive, and be producible in large quantities without reducing food supplies (Hill 2006). I argue that the United States should use ethanol as our main energy provider instead of alternative fuels due its applications such as job creation, energy security, and environmental benefits.
We are currently going through “America's Second Great Depression”, with the worst wave of bankruptcies, job losses and financial crisis in history. However with Ethanol, our future is looking brighter then ever. The growing ethanol industry alone, provides a significant contribution to the American economy, creating new high-paying jobs, increasing market opportunities for farmers, generating additional household income and tax revenues, and stimulating capital investment (American Coalition for Ethanol). In “2008, The U.S. ethanol industry last year added an additional 240,000 jobs, bringing the employment attributable to ethanol to almost a half a million” (Renewable Fuels Association). The process itself of creating and distributing corn based ethanol is done by American workers because it is currently only produced in the U.S. The American Coalition of Ethanol claims that “with an approximate cost of $60 million for one year of construction, an ethanol plant expands the local economic base by $110 million each year”. Those are new jobs created due to the increase in ethanol production. “In 2008, ethanol contributed $65 billion to GDP, added $20 billion to household income, and displaced the need for 321 million barrels of oil.” These are only the beginning effects ethanol production can have on our country and the lives of our citizens.
The U.S. imports 65% its petroleum needs today and two-thirds of the world's known oil reserves are located in the volatile Middle East. The U.S. Is increasingly depended on imported forms of energy to supply our needs. The production of ethanol allows the U.S. To become less dependent on foreign energy since it is domestically produced here (Renewable Fuels Association). That would allow the U.S., more control over our own security and future because we would be in control of our fuel supplies. “By displacing hundreds of millions of barrels of imported oil, the increasing reliance on domestically-produced ethanol is making available billions of dollars for investment in domestic renewable energy technologies” (Renewable Fuels Association).
In the graph it is clearly seen that as the years go by domestic forms of oil decrease while there is a rise in the amount of barrels we import from around the world a day.
Ethanol is an environmentally friendly renewable resource that burns cleaner than gasoline because it consists of 35% oxygen. Adding oxygen to fuels reduces harmful tailpipe emissions and displaces the use of toxic gasoline components such as benzene, a carcinogen. Ethanol is non-toxic, water soluble and highly biodegradable (American Coalition for Ethanol). Ethanol is produced from plants unlike petroleum based fossil fuels that have a limited supply and is a major contributer of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses. Because Ethanol is made from renewable, plant-based feedstocks, the carbon dioxide released during a vehicle's fuel combustion is "recycled" by the plant as it grows. “Using ethanol in place of gasoline helps to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 29% given today's technology” (American Coalition for Ethanol), and in 2008, the production and use of nine billion gallons of ethanol in the U.S. reduced CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 14 million tons, the equivalent of removing more than 2.1 million cars from America's roadways (Morgon 2008). Ethanol has made a drastic impact on the environment by cutting down on the CO2 emissions and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions by 12% (Hill 2006).
Even with all the benefits we receive with ethanol, the main concern has been questioned whether ethanol will really be an advantage to the economy or not. A problem is that ethanol cannot travel in pipelines like conventional gasoline because it picks up moisture and other impurities in the pipeline. Ethanol can only be transported by trucks, trains, or barges which are more expansive and complicated than using pipelines. This significantly increases transportation costs and as ethanol production increases, the result will be higher ethanol prices (Morgon 2008). Another predicament is that the U.S., does not have the infrastructure to accommodate the widespread ethanol use, which means that we have based our country upon coal and other fossil fuels and the adjustments would be expensive. The Net Energy Balance (NEB) is the biofuel energy content versus the fossil fuel energy inputs. The NEB for corn grain ethanol is small, providing approximately 25% more energy than required for its production.
This chart regards the NEB of corn grain ethanol and soybean biodiesel production. “Energy inputs and outputs are expressed per unit energy of the biofuel. All nine input categories are consistently ordered in each set of inputs, as in the legend, but some are so small as to be nearly indistinguishable. Individual inputs and outputs of ≥0.05 are labeled; values <0.05>Left) and for the biofuel only (Right)” (Hill 2006).
Biodiesel is a renewable, promising alternative fuel derived from vegetable oils and animal fats. The National Biodiesel Board reports that the production of biodiesel is highly efficient: 3.2 units of fuel energy from diesel are created from one unit of fossil energy used in production. Biodiesel is environmentally friendly because it burns cleaner because of the presence of oxygen in the fuel, resulting in fewer toxic emissions that reduce air quality. The National Biodiesel Board also states the numerous economic benefits, including $24 billion added to the U.S., economy by 2015, and resulting in 39,102 new jobs. However, biodiesel's largest problem is producing meaningful quantities of the fuel. Biodiesel certainly looks to be better for the environment, but from an economic standpoint it has several disadvantages over petroleum diesel.
A fuel cell is an “electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity with water and heat as its byproduct” (Department of Energy). The benefits that come along with fuel cells are that it would cut the U.S., dependence from the oil producing countries, be extremely reliable and efficient, have a 30% greenhouse gas reduction, emit small amounts of CO2, and provide more energy from the same amount of fuel that current conventions use (Bloomer 2003). As nice as that all sounds, there are some faults that come along with the idea. Similar to the other new fuels, a transition from a hydrogen and coal fueled economy to fuel cells would be extremely expensive. Another problem is which to develop first; the fuel or the end use applications. This is beginning to greatly interfere with production of this new technology. Investments will only come if there appears to be a large ROI and ROI only will come once consumers believe that this technology is effective and efficient (Department of Energy).
When compared to other forms of energy such as biodiesel or fuel cells, ethanol surpasses them all. Ethanol is the renewable fuel that benefits our country in so many ways. Citizens can get jobs, the economy rises once again, the U.S., has more control over our fuel sources, and we benefit our environment by not emitting as much carbon dioxide and green house gasses. "America's dependence on oil is one of the most serious threats that our nation has faced. It bankrolls dictators, pays for nuclear proliferation, and funds both sides of our struggle against terrorism. It puts the American people at the mercy of shifting gas prices, stifles innovation and sets back our ability to compete." said by President Barack Obama, January 26, 2009.
References
"American Coalition for Ethanol." ACE. 15 Apr. 2008
"RFA - Resource Center - Ethanol Facts." RFA - Renewable Fuels Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2010.
Hill, Jason, Erik Nelson, David Tilman, Stephen Polasky, and Douglas Tiffany. "Environmental, Economic, and Energetic Costs and Benefits of Biodiesel and Ethanol Biofuels." PNAS 103.30 (2006). Print.
Paul, Winters. "Industrial Biotechnology Is Revolutionizing the Production of Ethanol Transportation Fuel." Biotechnology Industry Organization (2008). Web. Feb. 2010.
Morgon, John, William Nickley, Megan Monaco, and Eric Miller. "Alternative Fuel Sources and Their Economic and Environmental Impacts." Dicke College of Business Administration (2008). Print.
Department of Energy. (2006). Fuel Cells. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from US. Department Of Energy Website.<>.
Bloomer, Michael. (2003). Fuel Cell Report to Congress. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from
U.S. Department of Energy
