The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 242
While corn is not near the top of the list in raw materials that can be used for
ethanol there are several good reasons why it is being used. However, the
amount of acreage being used to grow corn is irrelevant as we happen the have
enough land at this time.
In the future other crops with better "ethanol yields" will undoubtedly come into
higher use in the U.S.
Older cars (pre-early 1990's) may have components that are susceptible to alcohol deterioration. However, any pre-early 1990's cars on the road are susceptible to all kinds of problems anyway, regardless of the fuel used. So when
repairs are made the new parts used should be alcohol-resistant parts.
Rubber and plastic are generally not susceptible to alcohol, but the same can't
be said of gasoline, which is one of the reasons why fuel system repair didn't
just start when E10 fuel was mandated. One of the most corrosive liquids is
water. It can be rendered rather harmless in engines and other places by using
materials that are not subject to easy water corrosion.
Follow up by LMAC N:
A stoichiometric mixture is determined by the laws of physics. Engine "optimization" has nothing to do with it. It requires 40% more ethanol than gasoline to
make a stoichiometric mixture. Period. End of story. You cannot get around the
laws of physics. Miles per gallon will ALWAYS be worse on ethanol than it will
on pure gasoline. Period. That is part of the laws of physics -- there is simply
less energy in a gallon of ethanol than there is in a gallon of gasoline, no matter
how much you may wish it to be different.
Reply from MARC:
Fuel optimization has everything to do with the issue. BTU ranking is irrelevant.
This has been known for more than 100 years and was testified to before Congress in 1906.
If BTUs and not engine optimization were important then you would be able to
achieve better mileage by using diesel fuel in a gasoline engine, which has a
