Environmental

Ethanol is a renewable, environmentally friendly fuel that is inherently cleaner than gasoline.

Better for the Air:

• Ethanol reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
  

  • Petroleum-based transportation fuels are the number one cause of air pollution in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 82 percent of the carbon monoxide, 43 percent of the reactive organic gases (precursors to ground level ozone) and 57 percent of the nitrogen oxides in U.S cities are emitted from petroleum fuels.

  • In 2005, ethanol use in the U.S. reduced C02-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 7.8 million tons, equal to removing the annual emissions of more than 1.18 million cars from the road (Argonne National Laboratory - ANL)

  • Ethanol blends are estimated to reduce carbon monoxide emissions in vehicles by between 10% - 30%, depending upon the combustion technology, thereby reducing smog and ozone forming tailpipe emissions. (Environmental Protection Agency - EPA)

  • The American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago credits ethanol-blended fuel with reducing smog-forming emissions by 25% since 1990.
    

• Ethanol is an oxygenate.
  

  • The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments require that motor vehicles add oxygenates to fuels to help the fuel burn more cleanly, thereby greatly reducing harmful tailpipe emissions while also extending the fuel supply.

  • Ethanol contains 35% oxygen, making it burn more cleanly and completely than gasoline or any other fuel. (ACE)

  • Ethanol has widely replaced MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) which has commonly been used as an oxygenate since the late 1970s. Because MTBE has been classified as a possible carcinogen and has been found to pollute groundwater, switching to ethanol eliminates these risks.
    

Better for Groundwater:

• Ethanol is nontoxic and biodegradable in nearly all environments and thus is an excellent alternative to MTBE — a fuel oxygenate derived from petroleum — which is banned in many states because it has been shown to contaminate groundwater and is listed as a possible carcinogen.

• Ethanol spillage is virtually harmless to the environment, eliminating the many adverse effects associated with oil spills.

No Need to Refine:

• Ethanol does not have to be refined. It is poured into the tank and therefore there is no need for expensive, polluting refineries.

• Pollution associated with petroleum refining includes VOCs (volatile organic compounds), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulates, ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), metals, spent acids, and numerous toxic organic compounds. Sulfur and metals result from the impurities in crude oil.

The Carbon Cycle:

• The ethanol production process represents a carbon cycle. Thus, the feedstocks used to produce ethanol absorb carbon dioxide (C02) during growth, “recycling” the carbon released during fuel combustion.

• In addition, many ethanol plants collect that carbon dioxide released during fuel combustion and market it as co-product.