Gunpowder Chronicle posted on April 27, 2008 8:38 PM | Rating:
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The International Herald Tribune has an article featuring a new product in development that would allow any citizen to make their own ethanol at home. I don't know about all of you, but I call that a "still". Quick, someone call Uncle Jesse!
At its heart, ethanol is nothing more than backwoods grain alcohol. Yes, you're average pint of ethanol made by Archer Daniels Midland (or, Another Damn Megacorporation if you prefer) has fewer impurities. But a little copper tubing (without lead solder), a steel drum, and a good heat source will give you the same basic contents.
In fact, back in World War II, a number of farmers wanted to make ethanol in order to fuel their cars (due to gasoline rationing). No dice, because distilling your own alcohol is still illegal in America.
The notion of homemade ethanol -- and that someone would invest large somes in home-sized distillery the size of a washer/dryer unit -- is laughable at best. The government will NEVER run the risk of losing billions in excise tax revenue.
Not to mention that the vast majority of today's internal combustion engines cannot burn ethanol well. Alcohol does a wonderful job of gunking up the fuel injectors and fouling oxygen sensors. That's why oil companies are limited to fifteen percent ethanol content in E-85 and ten percent in regular gas. Ethanol is also highly corrosive due to oxidation.
Ethanol also has a lower specific gravity than petroleum-based fuel, which means it contains fewer BTUs at higher temperatures. Gas mileage in the summer is substantially lower than the winter now that we have 10% ethanol gasoline.
The reach for ethanol through home-brew solutions is foolish. We are essentially taking food commodities (sugar and grains) and converting them to a fuel source. As we are seeing, large food shortages are resulting. In America, while we haven't seen shortages, we have seen INCREDIBLE price increases.
The same dent corn (named for the "dent" in the top of the kernel) used to make ethanol is used in just about food product you buy. Because of massive tarriffs on imported sugar, and assinine subsidies on domestic sugar, every soda you buy uses corn (high fructose corn syrup). Cereals, bread, pastas, frozen food-- they all use corn or grain in some form or another. The same grains used to make ethanol.
Ethanol production is also VERY water intensive. Ethanol is made by creating a "mash" of foodstock (grain or sugar) and water, then boiling that mash to 212 degrees. The alcohol leaves the mixture as steam, and condenses as clear grain alcohol. But it takes a LOT of water to make a little alcohol.
Ethanol is not the answer. A new power source for transportation -- cars, trucks, etc. -- is what is needed. Instead of wasting new money on old ideas, we should be investing money in new ideas.
We don't need to turn the average American into the Duke Boys.