BY: ERICA TUCKER ETHANOL VS. GASOLINE

INTRO TO THE FUELS Gasoline: Produced from petroleum Non-renewable Types: Pure gasoline Gasohol (combination of gasoline and ethanol)

INTRO TO THE FUELS (CONT.) Ethanol: Derived from plants Renewable Types: Corn-based Sugarcane Cellulosic (made from the sugar substrate of plants)

THESIS After each side of the argument is presented, my thesis is: The BEST combination of each fuel needs to be used to improve environment and maintain necessary resources.

MAIN POINTS Benefits and downfalls to both gasoline and ethanol The new forms of ethanol being researched What these new forms bring to the table for the U.S. The need for alternative fuels New technology

BENEFITS OF GASOLINE Cheaper than ethanol in the long run Engine burns it more efficiently

DOWNFALLS TO GASOLINE Worse for environment Releases more Hydrocarbons and Carbon Dioxide Non-renewable This issue leads to a need of alternative fuels

BENEFITS OF ETHANOL Cheaper to produce Made from corn- renewable resource Better for the environment Emissions released are less harmful

DOWNFALLS TO ETHANOL Using corn to produce ethanol would decrease amount used for feeding the people of the world World doesn’t produce enough corn as it is May be more expensive in the long-run than gasoline Less-efficient burning in engine

NEW FORMS OF ETHANOL Sugarcane Ethanol: Made from sugarcane Renewable More needs to be produced, this space is available Benefits: Reduction of carbon emissions by 66 million tonnes “tonne” here means 1000 kilograms

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR U.S. U.S. was tenth in sugarcane production as of 2005 Need to either produce or import more sugarcane Car manufacturers need to produce engine to run efficiently on sugarcane Although promising, has downfalls Also uses valuable food sources that could be feeding the starving people of the world

NEW FORMS OF ETHANOL (CONT.) Cellulosic Ethanol Produced by breaking down sugar substrate of plant material Cellulose makes up between 75 and 85 percent of plant material If broken down too, corn could be used more efficiently and less would be needed to produce the same amount of fuel

GASOHOL 90% gasoline and 10% corn-based ethanol Same price at pump, but emissions are not as harmful Downfall “Expensive and energy intensive to produce” (Columbia)

NEED FOR ALTERNATIVE FUELS Nations need to keep up with demand of food sources for ethanol, but also maintain adequate production of crops for feeding the world Need for fuel that is safe for the environment and also competitive with gasoline’s efficiency in engines

ADDITIONAL GOAL: REDUCE OVERALL USE OF ENERGY SOURCES New technology has surfaced Electric cars Run on electricity and gasoline More beneficial to environment because they release less harmful emissions than a car that runs only on gasoline Chevy Cruze Eco Better gas mileage

MAKING PROGRESS Benefits of Electric Cars: Require less fuel therefore reducing needed amount of depleting petroleum If progress continues Electric-ethanol cars? 100% electric cars? Resolve problem of overuse of petroleum and remove harmful emissions

IN CONCLUSION… Despite positives of gasoline, long-term survival of society requires use of alternative fuels. Due to drawbacks, society is not yet ready to completely replace gasoline because of greedy consumption of petroleum Many hurdles to conquer and further research and analysis is necessary for reduction of petroleum- based products and increase in alternative fuels

WORKS CITED “Economic and Social Department the Statistics Division.” Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations Web. 01 Nov “Ethanol is More Expensive than Gasoline over Time.” US News. Daily News, 03 June Web. 01 Nov “Gasohol.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6 th Edition 1.1 (2011): 1. Vocational and Career Collection. Web. 01 Nov Goldemberg, José. “The Ethanol Program in Brazil.” Environmental Research Letters 1.1 (2006): 4. IOP Science. Web. 01 Nov Ho, Mae-Wan. “ Ethanol from Cellulose Biomass Not Sustainable nor Environmentally Benign” Institute of Science in Society Science Society Sustainability. (2006): n. pag. Web. 02 Nov Lerner, Ivan. “The New Ethanol.” ICIS Chemical Business (2010): Vocational and Career Collection. Web. 02 Nov Weeks, Linton. “Big Question: Can Grain Ever be the Future of Fuel?” National Debate Archives. (2006): G29. TOPICsearch. Web. 01 Nov