What problems are there with using ethanol from corn for energy?
Some studies have concluded that fuel ethanol use results in increased carbon emissions due to land use change and fossil fuel use during production (Stashwick 2010). Other environmental concerns with corn ethanol include fertilizer use, eutrophication of surface waters, and air and water pollution (Niven 2005).
What is the energy balance of corn ethanol?
The estimated net energy value (NEV) of corn ethanol was 21,105 Btu/gal under the following assumptions: fertilizers are produced by modern processing plants, corn is converted in modern processing facilities, farmers achieve normal corn yields, and energy credits are allocated to coproducts.
Which is a negative impact of the use of ethanol for energy?
Higher-ethanol blends still produce significant levels of air pollution, reduce fuel efficiency, jack up corn and other food prices, and have been treated with skepticism by some car manufacturers for the damage they do to engines.
Why is corn ethanol bad?
In addition to the extra ozone pollution from burning 15 percent ethanol fuel blends during the summer, increased demand in corn production for ethanol puts a strain on the environment, from increased soil erosion to pesticide and fertilizer use to water pollution, while diverting land that could be used for food …
Why corn should not be used for fuel?
Corn is indeed a renewable resource, but it has a far lower yield relative to the energy used to produce it than either biodiesel (such as soybean oil) or ethanol from other plants. Ethanol yields about 30 percent less energy per gallon than gasoline, so mileage drops off significantly.
Can corn be used as fuel?
Corn is the main feedstock used for producing ethanol fuel in the United States.
Which fuel has the best energy balance?
Ethanol
Ethanol Energy Balance Energy is required to turn any raw feedstock into ethanol. Ethanol produced from corn demonstrates a positive energy balance, meaning that the process of producing ethanol fuel does not require more energy than the amount of energy contained in the fuel itself.
Is ethanol a good alternative to petroleum fuels and is using corn to produce ethanol the right method?
Ethanol fuel has been lauded as a viable alternative to petroleum-based fuels, offering not only less pollution to the environment, but also a sustainable source of energy. Most vehicles run on mixtures of gas and ethanol; this mixture is common at most gas stations across the country.
Does corn ethanol fuel make sense?
Data show that corn ethanol can reduce greenhouse gases by about 18 percent. (The ethanol currently used in the U.S. is largely produced from corn.) In contrast, cellulosic ethanol made from the sugars contained in plant cell walls, can cut greenhouse gases by as much as 90 percent.
Does corn ethanol have a positive or negative energy equation?
Ethanol proponents, most notably the U.S. Department of Agriculture, assert that corn ethanol has a positive NEV (i.e., ethanol provides more energy than is used to produce it). Others, most notably Professors David Pimentel and Tad Patzek, assert that corn ethanol has a negative NEV (i.e., ethanol provides less energy than is used to produce it).
Is corn-based ethanol the answer to clean energy?
Corn ethanol was first considered as a fuel source by Harry Ford and other auto-makers. They predicted that ethanol would become the world’s fuel supply. Now, as we discover that our fossil fuels are running low, some look to corn-based ethanol as the solution to cleaner, renewable energy.
What are the pros and cons of corn ethanol?
Pros Corn ethanol is a renewable fuel; it takes only six months to grow and harvest a crop of corn to convert into ethanol Can be used by all vehicles that use gasoline in the United States at concentrations of up to 10% ethanol With few alterations, vehicles can be converted to E85 concentration of ethanol
Is corn ethanol more greenhouse-friendly than we thought?
Images courtesy of USDA. Over the past two decades, the demand for renewable fuels — including corn-based ethanol — has helped drive a strong domestic market for corn, and supported rural America by generating jobs (PDF, 1.5 MB). New research is confirming that corn ethanol also has more greenhouse gas benefits than previously thought.