You’ve probably heard of E85, or maybe you’ve even seen a few gas stations selling this stuff. Perhaps you’ve read that it’s the new, greener alternative fuel for cars that’s supposed to help wean us off our foreign dependency on oil. After all, anything that can achieve that is a good thing, right? … Wrong.
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Ethanol is basically a high proof alcohol (just like we drink) which is created by fermenting organic matter such as sugar cane, corn, wheat, grains, and even our trash (source: Technology Review) and turning it into a fuel we can burn in our cars. This is done in large refining plants all across the country, but mostly near large farms. Because ethanol burns “clean” (no residue), we can mix it with gasoline and use it in most internal combustion engines with no ill affects to the vehicle. In fact, some states mandate that gasoline contain at least 10% ethanol to reduce the affects of smog and as a substitute for the additive MTBE. |
Things in Moderation is usually good. Most cars can safely burn gasoline that has 10% ethanol mixed in, also called E10. But problems start to arise when we increase the ethanol content of our fuel to 85%, also called E85, as a substitution for regular lead-free gasoline. What once seemed like a good idea, suddenly takes on a more sinister role and has some pretty serious consequences attached to it. Proponents of the E85 craze are blinded by money and are not fully disclosing all the problems associated with mass producing large quantities of ethanol.
