What+are+the+advantages+&+disadvantages,+in+terms+of+efficiency+&+environmental+impact,+of+using+corn+to+produce+ethanol+fuel?

Jeewon SHIN SCH4U1-02 //What are the advantages & disadvantages, in terms of efficiency & environmental impact, of using corn to produce ethanol fuel? //

//**__Advantages__**//

 - Basically, ethanol is primarily derived from corn. Ethanol fuel is a gasoline alternative that is manufactured from the conversion of carbon based feed stocks such as sugar cane, sugar beets, switch grass, and corn. It is an alternative from petroleum and it is said to be better for the environment. Ethanol fuel can be combined with gasoline at different percentages. Not every vehicle can run on 100% ethanol.  - Glucose is created in the plant by photosynthesis. 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light → C6H12O6 + 6 O2   During ethanol fermentation, converting glucose into cellular energy , glucose is decomposed into ethanol and carbon dioxide. C6H12O6 → 2 C2H5OH+ 2 CO2 + heat During combustion ethanol reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and heat: C2H5OH + 3 O2 → 2 CO2 + 3 H2O + heat - Biological renewability: Ethanol is made from growing crops, not fossil energy sources. The sun is the source of most energy used to make fuel ethanol. - Cleaner environment: When ethanol is used as an automotive fuel, the result is less carbon monoxide, lower emissions of hydrocarbons into the air, and less dependence on toxic compounds. <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Ethanol does not contain significant amounts of toxic materials such as lead and <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">benzene. Cars capable of using E85 ethanol, an 85/15 percent blend of ethanol to gasoline, do create fewer toxic emissions. By lowering the amount of greenhouse gases and ozone <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">created by car exhaust, the use of ethanol is believed to be a much better alternative to gasoline. <span style="display: block; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 38.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.8pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: left; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -18.0pt; word-break: keep-all;"><span style="color: black; display: block; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">- Cleaner burning engines, less carbon build-up. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">- <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Lower net carbon dioxide emissions caused by the combustion of automotive fuels, meaning less potential for global warming. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">- <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Less dependence on imported light crude oil <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">- <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Expanded market opportunity for Canadian farmers <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">- <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Economic opportunities for rural Canada <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">- Fuel economy <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 38pt;">Ethanol contains approx. 34% less energy per unit volume than gasoline, and therefore in theory, burning pure ethanol in a vehicle will result in a 34% reduction in miles per US gallon, given the same fuel economy, compared to burning pure gasoline. <span style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 38pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.8pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">- <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Fuels with more than 10% ethanol may cause <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">corrosion of iron components. <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Ethanol can absorb water and dirt very easily, and if those contaminants are not filtered out successfully, they can cause damage and corrosion inside the engine block. <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Ethanol fuel can negatively affect electric fuel pumps by increasing internal wear, cause undesirable spark generation, and is not compatible with <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">capacitance fuel level gauging indicators and may cause erroneous fuel quantity indications in vehicles that employ that system. It is also not always compatible with marine craft, especially those that use fiberglass fuel tanks. Ethanol is also not used in aircraft for these same reasons.
 * __Disadvantages__**

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"> REFERENCES

=
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">K, E. (n.d.). Ethanol Fuel.//Alternative Energy//. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.energyrefuge.com/archives/ethanol-fuel.htm  ======

=
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pollick, M. (n.d.). What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Ethanol Fuel?. //<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">wiseGEEK: clear answers for common questions //<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-ethanol-fuel.htm  ======

=
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Fuel Ethanol Home Page. (n.d.). //Grain Farmers of Ontario//. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.ontariocorn.org/ethanol/ethahome.html ======

=
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 200%; vertical-align: top;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Ethanol fuel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.).//Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel ====== <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">