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The biofuel's bipartisan support isn't about science, but politics:
Two decades ago, when the world was wising up to the threat of climate change, the Bush administration touted ethanol — a fuel usually made from corn — for its threefold promise: It would wean the country off foreign oil, line farmers' pockets, and reduce carbon pollution. In 2007, Congress mandated that refiners nearly quintuple the amount of biofuels mixed into the nation's gasoline supply over 15 years. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, projected that ethanol would emit at least 20 percent fewer greenhouse gasses than conventional gasoline.
Scientists say the EPA was too optimistic, and some research shows that the congressional mandate did more climatic harm than good. A 2022 study found that producing and burning corn-based fuel is at least 24 percent more carbon-intensive than refining and combusting gasoline. The biofuel industry and the Department of Energy, or DOE, vehemently criticized those findings, which nevertheless challenge the widespread claim that ethanol is something of a magic elixir.
"There's an intuition people have that burning plants is better than burning fossil fuels," said Timothy Searchinger. He is a senior researcher at the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment at Princeton University and an early skeptic of ethanol. "Growing plants is good. Burning plants isn't."
Given all that, not to mention the growing popularity of electric vehicles, you'd think ethanol is on the way out. Not so. Politicians across the ideological spectrum continue to tout it as a way to win energy independence and save the climate. The fuel's bipartisan staying power has less to do with any environmental benefits than with disputed science and the sway of the biofuel lobby, agricultural economists and policy analysts told Grist.
"The only way ethanol makes sense is as a political issue," said Jason Hill, a bioproducts and biosystems engineering professor at the University of Minnesota.
Although the 15 billion gallons of ethanol mixed into gasoline each year falls well short of the 36 billion that President Bush hoped for, the number of refineries in the U.S. has nearly doubled to almost 200 since his presidency. Between 2008 and 2016, corn cultivation increased by about 9 percent. In some areas, like the Dakotas and western Minnesota, it rose as much as 100 percent during that time. Nationwide, corn land expanded by more than 11 million acres between 2005 and 2021.
"A quarter of all the corn land in the U.S. is used for ethanol. It's a land area equivalent to all the corn land in Minnesota and Iowa combined," said Hill. "That has implications. It's not just what happens in the U.S. It's what happens globally."
Journal Reference:Jan Lewandrowski, Jeffrey Rosenfeld, Diana Pape, et al. The greenhouse gas benefits of corn ethanol – assessing recent evidence [open], Biofuels (DOI: 10.1080/17597269.2018.1546488)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Snotnose on Tuesday May 09, @07:56PM (12 children)
You don't get the option to buy gas with 0% ethanol (unless you want to buy racing gas).
I wonder how the market would shake out if consumers had the chance to buy ethanol free gas. My guess is ethanol would quickly die out.
I just passed a drug test. My dealer has some explaining to do.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday May 09, @08:32PM (5 children)
I haven't done a nationwide study, but in my area there are (supposedly) a few gasoline retailers who sell E0 (zero ethanol). I know of one for sure, but it's 30+ miles from me.
Airplane gasoline (avgas) supposedly has no ethanol, and that might be more commonly available (any small airport).
A big factor in all of this is that many older cars don't adapt well to the ethanol, so you end up with (much) worse MPG, which kind of greatly defeats the purpose in the first place.
But remember- the original reason for ethanol was to reduce emissions (NOx, CO, HC) - not necessarily CO2. Previously MTBE Methyl tert-Butyl Ether [cdc.gov] was being used to increase oxygenation in gasoline to reduce some emissions and it helps increase octane (detonation resistance) but it turns out to be really bad for humans.
Also, many / most small engines, esp. chain saws, string trimmers, leaf blowers, etc., have rubber and plastic parts that severely deteriorate due to the ethanol. So that's adding to atmospheric CO2 because they have to be repaired or replaced, transport costs and associated emissions, etc.
There is a very effective additive that seems to protect the plastic / rubber parts from the ethanol- if you know of it, and then bother to buy and use it.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Snotnose on Tuesday May 09, @11:07PM (1 child)
Avgas has lead, which ruins your catalytic converter.
The other good source of ethanol is beets. Too bad neither beets nor sugar cane grow in any state with an early primary.
I just passed a drug test. My dealer has some explaining to do.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday May 10, @01:33AM
OMG, you're absolutely right. Long ago I used it a few times in a pre-cat car. I knew it doesn't have ethanol but I forgot about the lead. Nevermind.
Ouch. Case of the truth hurts.
(Score: 2) by higuita on Tuesday May 09, @11:22PM (1 child)
That is the key, a old engine was build for gasoline and even lead, they don't like ethanol because they were not designed for it
newer cars already did, they are already finetune for accepting ethanol and should not take any damage.
AS per MPG, ethanol have lower energy density than gasoline, so yes, a small decrease is normal... 30 miles seem a lot to me, but that also depend how many miles you have done in total and probably how heavy your car is ... but usually also, gasoline with ethanol is cheaper, so miles per dolar should probably side with the ethanol one
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday May 10, @02:00AM
I'm thinking of middle-age cars- ones that are computerized fuel injected, but have the older "narrow band" oxygen sensors. Ethanol causes the exhaust O2 reading to be higher than it would be with E0 (ethanol zero). So then the O2 sensors tell the computer that the engine is running lean (not enough fuel) so the computer incorrectly sprays excess fuel. Ask me how I know...
In case anyone doesn't know, the O2 sensor is in the exhaust stream. The engine computer relies on the O2 sensor to determine if the air-fuel ratio is correct, and is constantly compensating fuel delivery based on the O2 sensor's output. It is not adjustable per se. The older "narrow band" ones are not a linear device, but rather the output switches from rich to lean in a very narrow range of residual oxygen in the exhaust stream.
Newer cars have wide-band sensors which work over a much wider range of air-fuel ratio operation. They are therefore much more tolerant and adaptable to non-ideal operating conditions, such as ethanol in the fuel.
So I'm looking into using a wide-band O2 sensor. They make and sell an adapter that allows you to use a wide-band O2 sensor with a narrow-band computer / fuel injection system. There's an adjustment which allows you to find the correct setting. Or I might build my own system.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09, @11:43PM
Not if the purpose is to force you to buy a new car... Opportunity knocks
(Score: 3, Informative) by ElizabethGreene on Tuesday May 09, @09:15PM (3 children)
I was at a RaceTrac yesterday in Tennessee that offered 0% ethanol gas for a price premium over the normal E15 gas. It's state and chain dependent.
Racing fuel here has a large quantity of methanol added to it to raise the knock rating to an equivalent of 115 octane. It runs about a $3 premium over 87 octane "normal" gas. Again, state and chain dependent.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday May 10, @02:11AM (2 children)
Oh, so like if I need it for a chain saw?
Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It was just sitting there. :-}
(Score: 3, Informative) by VLM on Wednesday May 10, @12:05PM (1 child)
LOL funny you mention that, you can buy premium cans of chainsaw fuel "guaranteed" to be shelf stable and not to gum up the carb. Expensive but if you need reliability its available.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday May 10, @03:19PM
I haven't used it yet but I know people who will only use it, as it saves them much time and aggravation.
BTW, I don't know if you know, but one place the ethanol is a problem: many small engines use "Tygon®" tubing in the fuel system, including the fuel line and inlet inside of the fuel tank. Tygon is super tough stuff. Even a skinny 1/8" tube is much stronger than I can pull and break by hand. But you should see what the ethanol does to it. Ethanol turns Tygon into a very hard dry brittle crumbling garbage. With the "ethanol shield" and other fuel treatments, Tygon stays tough and strong. Organic chem is so interesting.
(Score: 3, Informative) by tekk on Tuesday May 09, @09:43PM (1 child)
E0 gas is pretty commonly available, at least in North Carolina. It's usually considerably more expensive, but you can pretty much always get it because boats and older small engines (lawn mowers, chainsaws, etc.) aren't built to take ethanol.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday May 10, @02:08AM
True, but as I posted above, there's an additive that neutralizes ethanol's destructive powers. I've been using it for years and have no more problems with small engines. It is a bit annoying to have to do it though. I wish E0 was widely available. I understand the reason they don't want everyone using it, but I'd rather a lottery system - something where you can only buy so many gallons (liters) a month for small engines, older cars, etc., rather than simply charging much more $ per gallon to discourage its use. As too often, the higher price hurts lower / working class people much more. Wealthy people don't usually have chain saws, string trimmers, etc.