Ethanol Advantages

Ethanol is often blended with gasoline to increase octaneOctane: a fuel additive that prevents engine knocking. When fuel combusts from compression instead of ignition, it causes engine knocking. and reduce tailpipe emissions. This alternative energy source is clean, efficient and renewable. The ethanol industry is growing, and with the announced development of five state-of-the-art ethanol facilities, Panda Ethanol is poised to be a major contributor.

There isn't one good reason to use Ethanol—there are many.

• Renewable

  Because ethanol is produced from corn, each new year means a new corn crop and more ethanol.

• Homegrown in the USA

  During the 1973 oil embargo, the United States imported approximately 28 percent of its oil from foreign countries. Today, that number has more than doubled to approximately 60 percent, not including an additional 10 percent of imported refined product. What's worse, the United States imports crude oil from regions of the world that are politically unstable.

  Americans no longer have to rely as much on foreign oil, however, to meet their transportation needs. Because of the nation's emerging ethanol industry, American dollars can now flow to farmers in the Midwest instead of to oil cartels in the Middle East.

  That's an important national security measure in an uncertain world.

• Eco-friendly

  Ethanol is a clean-burning fuel additive. A recent study found that a 10 percent blend of ethanol to gasoline reduces tailpipe carbon monoxideCarbon monoxide (CO): A deadly gas produced from the tailpipe when cars burn gasoline. Ethanol in unleaded gasoline helps reduce carbon monoxide emissions by as much as 30 percent. by up to 30 percent and organic fine particulate matterParticulate Matter (PM): "Pieces" of air pollution that have been found to penetrate deeply into human lungs. Ethanol helps reduce PM emissions by up to 50 percent. emissions by up to 50 percent. Less emissions means improved air quality.

  Why does ethanol burn more cleanly?

  Ethanol is a fuel oxygenateOxygenate: Ethanol is an oxygenate, meaning that it adds oxygen to the fuel mixture. More oxygen helps the fuel burn more completely—reducing the amount of harmful emissions from the tailpipe. A fuel such as ethanol-blended gasoline that contains a high oxygen content is called "oxygenated." containing approximately 35 percent oxygen. There are alternative oxygenates to ethanol, such as MTBE; however, ethanol contains almost twice the oxygen content of MTBE. The extra oxygen in ethanol helps the fuel in the engine cylinder combust more completely resulting in less tailpipe emission. In addition, MTBE is widely believed to be a contaminate of water supplies, whereas ethanol is non-toxic, water soluble and quickly biodegradable.

• Big booster

  Ethanol, with an average octane ratingOctane rating: The octane rating of a fuel is indicated on the pump—using numbers such as 87, 90, 91, etc. The higher the number, the greater the octane rating of the gasoline. The octane rating represents the "antiknock" properties of the fuel. The higher the number, the slower the fuel burns—and the less likely your engine will knock. Ethanol typically adds two to three octane numbers when blended with ordinary gasoline—making it a cost-effective octane-enhancer. of 113, acts as a super octaneOctane: a fuel additive that prevents engine knocking. When fuel combusts from compression instead of ignition, it causes engine knocking. booster. Gas refiners can add ethanol to gas to produce greater amounts of suboctane fuel with an octane rating of less than 87. The addition of ethanol increases the octane rating of the suboctane fuel so that it conforms to gasoline standards.

• Fuel extension

  Blending ethanol with gasoline increases the volume of fuel available for sale at the gas pump. Extending fuel supplies will help meet the increasing demand for auto fuel and help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign crude oil.

• An alternative

  E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, is a fuel alternative which burns more cleanly than gasoline. Flexible Fuel VehiclesFlexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV): A car or truck that can run on any blend of unleaded gasoline with up to 85 percent ethanol (E85). If you own an FFV, you do not have to fill up with E85 every time. A computer in the fuel system automatically compensates for the varying levels of ethanol in the fuel to assure optimum performance at all times., vehicles especially equipped to use E85, generally carry the same price tag as gasoline-only vehicles.

• Useful co-products

  Distillers grains with solubles (DGS), CO2 and ash are important co-products of ethanol production. DGS, a high-protein and energy-rich animal feed, is sold to feedyards. CO2 can be used as carbonation for beverages, a preservative for food products or a shielding gas for welding. It can also be used, in its frozen form, as dry ice and can be injected, in its gaseous form, into aging oilfields for enhanced oil recovery. Ash can be used as a soil additive for farming, a bed lining for cattle pens, a paving filler for road beds and a strengthening agent in building materials such as cement and cinder blocks.