1. An alternative fuel source
Ethanol
An alternative fuel source
:35 min

2. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) defines an alternative fuel as a product that is substantially nonpetroleum which yields energy security and environmental benefits.

3. I’m cute! H C O H C O (

4. Basics: Blends E10 E15 E85 Contains 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline
Most common blend in U.S.
EPA: “Substantially similar” to gasoline in all vehicles
E15
Contains 15% ethanol, 85% gasoline
EPA: “Substantially similar” to gasoline in MY2001 and newer vehicles
E85
Contains 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline
Alternative fuel under Energy Policy Act of 1992
Used in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs)
Available in most states
E10, a blend containing 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline, is the most common blend. EPA classifies low-level ethanol blends (up to E10) as “substantially similar” to gasoline, meaning that they can be used legally in any gasoline-powered vehicle without modification.
EPA recently determined E15 to be “substantially similar” to gasoline for vehicles manufactured in model year 2001 (MY2001) and later.
E85 is considered an alternative fuel under the Energy Policy Act of It can be used in E85-capable FFVs, which are available in a variety of makes and models. The 15% gasoline content in E85 enables FFVs to operate normally under cold conditions; fueling a vehicle with pure ethanol (E100) creates problems during cold-weather operation.
As of December 2010, E85 was available at more than 2,000 fueling stations in 44 states.

5. Ethanol
Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel produced by fermenting and distilling starch crops that have been converted into simple sugars. Feedstocks for this fuel include corn, barley, and wheat.

6. Ethanol can also be produced from "cellulosic biomass" such as trees and grasses and is called bioethanol. Ethanol is most commonly used to increase octane and improve the emissions quality of gasoline.

7. Basics: Production Ethanol from Starch and Sugar
Ethanol from sugar beets and sugar cane most common in Brazil
Corn ethanol most common in U.S.
Dry milling
Wet milling
Ethanol is made from the sugars found in grains, such as corn, sorghum, and barley, as well as potato skins, rice, sugar cane, sugar beets, and yard clippings. There are several ways to make ethanol from these sources.
The most common processes today use yeast to ferment the sugars and starch in corn. Corn is the main ingredient for ethanol in the United States due to its abundance and low price. Most ethanol is produced in the corn-growing states in the Midwest.
Sugar cane and sugar beets are the most common ingredients used to make ethanol in other parts of the world. Since alcohol is created by fermenting sugar, sugar crops are the easiest ingredients to convert into alcohol. Brazil, the country with the world's largest ethanol production, makes most of its ethanol from sugar cane. Today, many cars in Brazil run on ethanol.
Corn ethanol is produced in two ways: wet milling and dry milling. The primary difference between these processes is in the initial grain treatment.
During dry milling, the entire corn kernel is ground into a coarse powder. Next, water and enzymes are added, and the mixture is "cooked." Yeast is added, and the mixture is fermented. This "mash" is sent to the distillation system and molecular sieves to remove the water to produce 200-proof ethanol. The ethanol is denatured (usually with gasoline) to make it unfit for human consumption and sent to ethanol storage tanks. Nearly all fuel ethanol plants are dry mills.
In wet milling, the grain is steeped in hot water, a process that separates the grain into its component parts. Wet mills are significantly more expensive to build, and they produce a wide variety of food-grade products.
In both processes, starch is the only component of the grain used to make ethanol. The remaining nutrients—protein, fiber, and oil—are used to create by-products. Wet mills produce corn oil, gluten meal, high fructose corn syrup, and starch, while dry mills produce wet or dry distillers grains, which are used as livestock feed. Carbon dioxide is also a by-product of ethanol production and is sometimes captured and processed into a commercial-grade liquefied form.

8. Grain Ethanol “Ethanol” generally means grain alcohol. Sources:
corn (primary source in U.S.)
other grains
potatoes
sugarcane (e.g. Brazil) (

9. Cellulosic Ethanol
Cellulosic ethanol is made from cellulose (surprise!)
Cellulose provides structure to plants.
Sources: corn stover, sugar cane bagasse, sawdust, paper pulp, and switchgrass.
(Brekke 2005) (

12. How Ethanol is Made
3:51 min

13. Making Grain Ethanol (Dry Milling)
Milling (grind it up!)
Liquification (mixed with H2O and heated)
Saccharification (starch fermentable sugars)
Fermentation (yeast + sugars = ethanol + CO2)
Distillation (ethanol is separated from the solids)
Dehydration (remove last bit of H2O)
Denaturing (made unfit for human consumption)
Co-products (distiller’s grain livestock feed
CO2 compressed) (

14. Cellulose to Fermentable Sugars
Treat with heat and acid to break it apart
Treat with enzymes to turn the sugars into fermentable glucose
Enzymes now cents / gallon in laboratory trials.
Bacteria…?
Lonnie Ingram (University of Florida)
E. coli + cellulose ethanol
90 – 95 % efficiency
(Brekke 2005)

15. Energy output:input ratio = 1.6
Energy Efficient
Yields 25 % more energy than is used to grow, harvest and distill it into ethanol.
Energy output:input ratio = 1.6 (

16. Evolution of an industry--Ethanol

17. Gasoline vs. Ethanol Gasoline E85 Ethanol 86 to 94 100 Crude Oil
Octane Number
86 to 94
100
Main Fuel Source
Crude Oil
Corn, Grains, or agricultural waste
Energy Content / Gallon
109, ,000 Btu
~ 80,000 Btu
Energy Ratio Compared to Gasoline
70%
Physical State
Liquid (

18. Emissions and Air Quality
Ethanol contains 35% oxygen. Adding oxygen to fuel results in more complete fuel combustion
Gasoline containing a 10% ethanol blend reduces smog emissions
carbon monoxide 25-30%
particulate matter 50%
volatile organic compounds 7%.

19. Benefits: More Internal
Necessary to continue to meet rising EPA standards
95% of gas already has 6% ethanol

20. Benefits Energy Security Public Health and Environment
More than half of U.S. petroleum is imported
Production of one unit of corn ethanol requires units of fossil energy
Public Health and Environment
Corn ethanol reduces GHGs by 19% to 52%
Cellulosic ethanol reduces GHGs by 75%
Reduces emissions of NOx, CO, benzene, 1,3- butadiene (higher formaldehyde and acetaldehyde emissions)
Existing Infrastructure
Only minor modifications required
Using ethanol as a vehicle fuel increases energy security, improves public health and the environment, and uses existing infrastructure.
The United States imports more than half of its petroleum, two-thirds of which is used to fuel vehicles in the form of gasoline and diesel. With much of the worldwide petroleum reserves located in politically volatile countries, the United States is vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The majority of studies published since the early 1990s show that corn ethanol can provide between 1.3 and 1.7 times more energy than the fossil energy used to produce it. So for every unit of energy delivered at the pump, corn ethanol production only requires 0.78 units of fossil energy, according to research conducted by DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).
The energy used to produce ethanol can also be compared to that of gasoline. Compared to the 0.78 units of fossil fuel required for one unit of corn ethanol production, gasoline requires 1.23 units. In other words, the use of corn ethanol results in the consumption of 40% less fossil energy than the gasoline it replaces.
E85 reduces greenhouse gas emissions: On a life-cycle basis, including fuel production and distribution, E85 made with corn ethanol reduces carbon greenhouse gas emissions by 19% to 52%, depending on the production process used. When E85 is made from cellulose materials, such as corn and wheat stalks or forestry waste, it can reduce greenhouse gases by 75%.
Compared with gasoline-fueled vehicles, E85-fueled vehicles tended to produce lower oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, benzene, and 1,3-butadiene emissions. They produce higher formaldehyde and acetaldehyde emissions.
E85 is an alternative fuel that can take advantage of existing infrastructure: Because E85 is a liquid fuel, only minor modifications are required to fuel dispensing stations to accommodate E85. This includes storage tanks, pumps, hoses, and dispensers.

21. Benefits: External Economic
Self-sufficiency!
Potential 1/3 reduction of foreign oil dependence
W/o E10, immediate % need increase

22. So, Who’s Buying It?
2003- Global Summit including representatives from China, India, Thailand, and Brazil
“In poor countries, production of ethanol and biodiesel can have an extremely positive impact.  It assists in dealing with the energy deficit, influencing internal consumption and exports.  It can also generate a vast number of jobs.”
- President da Silva, Brazil

23. E3 Biofuels (Mead, NE) Grow Corn Produce Ethanol Feed Cattle
Harvest the manure
Produce methane
Methane fuels boilers
Remains-Fertlize soil

24. Ethanol Basics Renewable fuel produced from plant materials (biomass)
Same chemical compound in alcoholic beverages (C2H5OH)
Comes from starchy feedstocks (corn, sugar cane, sugar beets) and cellulosic feedstocks (yard waste, grasses, poplars)
Blended at low levels into 80% of gasoline sold in the United States
Increasingly available as E85, for use in flex fuel vehicles
High-octane fuel
Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from various plant materials, which collectively are called "biomass.“
Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol and grain alcohol, has same chemical compound (C2H5OH) found in alcoholic beverages.
Ethanol has the same chemical compound whether it is produced from starch-based and sugar-based feedstocks, like as corn grain (as it primarily is in the United States) and sugar cane (as it primarily is in Brazil) or from woody plant material, often referred to as cellulosic feedstocks.
Making ethanol from cellulosic feedstocks—such as grass, wood, crop residues, or old newspapers—is more challenging than using starch or sugars.
Ethanol works well in internal combustion engines. In fact, Henry Ford and other early automakers thought ethanol would be the world's primary fuel before gasoline became so readily available.
About 80% of U.S. gasoline contains ethanol in a low-level blend to oxygenate the fuel and reduce air pollution. Ethanol is also increasingly available in E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), an alternative fuel that can be used in flexible fuel vehicles.
Studies have estimated that ethanol and other biofuels could replace 30% or more of U.S. gasoline demand by 2030.

25. Basics: Blends Intermediate Blends Blender Pumps E20, E30, E50, etc.
Only for FFVs
Blender Pumps
Mix E10 with E85 to create intermediate blends
Provide flexibility for future changes in regulations
Allow for choice, based on prices and performance
Intermediate ethanol blends, which have more than 10% and less than 85% ethanol, are available in some areas. Like E85, these blends can only be used in FFVs. In light of the recent EPA decision, E15 is no longer considered an intermediate blend for vehicles manufactured in MY2001 and later. Intermediate blends do not qualify as alternative fuels under the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
Some fueling stations currently use "blender pumps"—fuel dispensers that can create a variety of ethanol blends by mixing E10 with E85. The resulting intermediate blends can be used legally in flex fuel vehicles but not in standard vehicles.
Blender pumps allow drivers to choose their blends, based on prices, their own preferences, and performance.
Blender pumps can be used by conventional vehicles and FFVs, since the pumps can dispense E10 as well as higher-level blends.

26. Basics: Production Cellulosic Ethanol
Uses woody, structural parts of plants
Crop residues, small trees, grasses
Research under way to improve cost and efficiency
Cellulosic ethanol is produced from the woody or structural parts of plants. Examples of these materials include agricultural residues, such as corn stover, cereal straws, and sugarcane bagasse; industrial waste, such as sawdust and paper pulp; forestry residues, such as small trees and excess wood; and energy crops, specifically grown for fuel production, such as switchgrass, hybrid poplars, and willows.
The cellulosic material in plants is comprised of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, all tightly bound together, providing structural stability to the plant. The tight bonds make it difficult to release the component sugars necessary for fermentation.
Ethanol can be produced from cellulosic material biochemically or thermochemically. In the biochemical process, the feedstock is first pretreated to separate the cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin from one another. Enzymes or acids are used to release sugars. Microorganisms then convert the sugars into ethanol through fermentation. Today, the enzymes used in the biochemical process are quite expensive, and the organisms that facilitate fermentation of the sugars are still under development.
In the thermochemical process, heat and chemicals are used to break down feedstock into synthesis gas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) and then reassemble it into ethanol.
While cellulosic ethanol is not yet readily available, several commercial cellulosic ethanol production plants are in development. Intensive research by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other government and industry groups is under way to improve the efficiency and cost of cellulosic ethanol production, and DOE has provided significant funding to advance the commercial production of this and other biofuels.

27. Basics: Distribution
Ethanol producers face unique distribution challenges. Most ethanol plants are concentrated in the Midwestern United States, but gasoline consumption is highest along the East and West Coasts.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 90% of ethanol is transported by train or truck. The remaining 10% is transported by barge or pipeline. A tanker truck can carry 8,000 to 10,000 gallons of ethanol. One rail car can carry approximately 30,000 gallons of ethanol.
Delivering ethanol by pipeline is the most desirable option, but ethanol's solvent properties and its affinity for water require use of a dedicated pipeline or significant cleanup of existing pipelines.

28. Use: Vehicles Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs)
Qualify as alternative fuel vehicles under the Energy Policy Act of 1992
Operate on gasoline, E85, and lower-level blends
Comparable acceleration, payload, speed
Single fueling system
Lower fuel economy on ethanol
Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) are capable of operating on gasoline, E85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), or a mixture of both. FFVs qualify as alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) under the Energy Policy Act of They also qualify for AFV tax credits.
Unlike natural gas and propane bi-fuel vehicles, flexible fuel vehicles contain one fueling system, which is made up of ethanol compatible components and is set to accommodate the higher oxygen content of E85. E85 should only be used in ethanol-capable FFVs.
Other than fueling capability and ethanol compatible components, FFVs are similar to their conventional gasoline counterparts. Their power, acceleration, payload, and cruise speed are comparable whether running on ethanol or gasoline.
The only noticeable difference is that fuel economy is lower when FFVs run on ethanol. Ethanol contains less energy per gallon than gasoline does. The number of miles per gallon on E85 will typically be 25% lower than the miles delivered per gallon of gasoline. However, if E85 is priced below gasoline, the cost-per-mile may be comparable. For E10, the energy difference is only a few percent, so it’s typically not noticed in the vehicle’s mileage performance.

29. Use: Fueling Options Existing E85 Stations
Ask about fleet discounts
Communicate potential E85 demand
Converting Existing Equipment to E85
Newer equipment, clean and in good condition
Use a contractor that knows state and local rules
Installing New E85 Equipment
Research local regulations
Use UL E85 listed equipment
Hire a professional with E85 experience
Contact the state energy office, industry associations, Clean Cities
There are a number of options for a fleet to explore when considering ethanol fueling infrastructure.
Existing E85 Stations: For drivers and fleets without their own centralized fueling facility, existing E85 stations often can satisfy flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) fueling needs. If there are not enough E85 fueling stations in the area, FFV users can encourage retail service stations to carry the fuel by communicating the potential demand for E85. Service stations enjoy guaranteed fleet business, and many will offer fleet or volume discounts. They might also consider adding E85 to their product line if it means keeping a fleet as a customer. Clean Cities can help with convincing stations to carry E85 and might be able to provide financial help and consumer education.
Converting Equipment to E85: In general, newer petroleum equipment in good condition can be converted for use with E85 in most areas of the country. Local and state requirements vary, so the project contractor should know local rules. Older fuel lines and dispenser components might not be compatible with the higher alcohol content of E85, and they should be replaced as required.
Installing New E85 Equipment: It’s best to consult with professionals who are familiar with local conditions and regulations. To get started, become familiar with E85 infrastructure requirements. Clean Cities’ AFDC website is a good place to begin. Consider hiring a professional with experience in E85 projects. Also consider contacting the state energy office, the local Clean Cities coalition, and industry associations. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) provides product safety certification for fuel dispensing equipment. For E85 infrastructure installation projects, use only UL E85 listed equipment.

30. What to expect on Field Trip—Pratt Energy Ethanol Plant
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tour of a plant (8:17 min)