OT: Brazil Leads the Way with Ethanol

[Thomas Rogers]

This was reported on the new last week, on CBS evening news if memory serves. The factoids that I found interesting were:



- The Brazilians have cars using and pumps dispensing 100% ethanol.



- They claim as long as crude is above $45/gallon then their ethanol is "cost effective"





Others here have said ethanol is not viable because it is too expensive to produce, and less fuel efficient. Well, as crude continues to go up, and in the next few decades as supplies dwindle, I think ethanol will catch on...seems it or hydrogen will have to!



Here is more from USA Today:

 

[Michael Hale]

I watched a program on the History Channel I believe it was a couple of weeks back about this very trend. Sounded like a good idea to me. I personally wouldn't mind paying a little more if it meant dropping our dependency on foreign oil. Here in Texas, wind farms are popping up all over the place in West Texas. Maybe a drop in the bucket but at least it's a start.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Teasip, we are already near if not at the point where we could enjoy pure Ethanol at a lower cost than fuel from imported crude. We just have to drop the tarrifs on the Brazilian imports. If only we could grow sugar cane here (not quite tropical enough, except for Hawaii). The report says corn just isn't as efficient a raw material (I assume the higher the sugar the less costly to distill).



Still, if the price of crude keeps going up a line will cross in which ethanol from corn cross over into the "cost effective" column.

 

[Dre L]

distilling sugar cane? Hmmm, I say we get a car that runs on overproof Bacardi.

 

[Todd Cloutier]

Sugar beets anyone?

 

[A K]

distilling sugar cane? Hmmm, I say we get a car that runs on overproof Bacardi.

Man, imagine the station lines at major universities. Kids filling 5 gallon containers... for jungle juice.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

100% works in Brazil, because it is warmer there. If we used 100% here, none of the cars would start on cold days.

 

[Michael Hale]

Beets was another item I believe that they explored as a source of sugar for the ethanol.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

NelsonOKC says:

100% works in Brazil, because it is warmer there. If we used 100% here, none of the cars would start on cold days.

Can you please explain that, Nelson? I am not sure what the issue would be.



As for drinking the stuff, I understand some chemical is added to make the ethanol unconsumable (tastes bad or something I guess).



TJR

 

[Tom Schindler]

I was reading an article in the news paper. A guy is working on a system to convert pig manure to crude oil.





Tom

 

[Todd Cloutier]

The vapor pressure of ethanol is lower than that of gasoline, making it harder to vaporize. A higher pressure fuel system, or direct injection into the cylinder would probably fix cold weather problems.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Thanks, Todd, that makes sense. I thought the injection system on the ST's was computerized to compensate for such things and that was one of the reason our STs could run E85 and regular gas.

 

[Todd Cloutier]

Apparently there's enough gasoline in E85 for there to be no cold weather problems. I found an interesting report on the internet (Dept of Energy or Transportation, or maybe EPA) that was about changing from MTBE to ethanol in reformulated gas. They found that when mixed with gasoline, the volatility of ethanol increased compared to pure ethanol.