Bioethanol And Some Commercial Outcomes
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012Ethanol and its economic implications are become more prominent in the current economic climate. Made by fermenting sugar this colorless, odorless flammable liquid can be used as a tipple and also as fuel to drive a motor car. As the supplies of oil keep edging down and the price keeps edging up people turn to alternative fuel sources and remembering the days when ethanol was added to petrol to make it go further.
Ethanol can be made from the sugars that are present in various plants such as corn, sugarcane and timber. Even grass can be used. Whatever crop is used involves different economic factors because the costs of production are different in each case.
The use of biofuels instead of fossil fuels would have substantial benefits for the environment. Carbon emissions would be reduced and since these are a significant cause of the pollution that is said to contribute to global warming it would appear to be the obvious course of action to follow. In the 1950s ethanol was commonly used to supplement petrol but for some reason the technology that would make biofuels more viable has been slow to develop.
In the process of biofuel production crops must be planted, grown and harvested. In the case of fossil fuels these steps took place eons ago. The fuels exist as non-renewable resources that simply have to be extracted from underground or undersea deposits. The economics of harvesting the sun’s energy are very different in each case. Even though the use of biofuels might be economically sustainable in the long term, the short term economic benefits of fossil fuels are undeniable.
Biofuels have determined the twisted shape of the industrial world. Oil and coal made very few people obscenely rich whilst the vast majority of economically valuable people remained poor. Geo political events were influenced by the people who could pump oil from beneath their feet. Their vested interests in motor vehicles being powered by oil probably diverted research into alternative fuels for many years.
When it was finally acknowledged that the move away from fossil fuels was inevitable valuable time had been lost. The human population and number of cars in existence made any switch to biofuels problematic. Production capacity was limited and the technology inadequate. There was an imbalance between economic needs and abilities.
Despite the acknowledgments that change in the motor industry is inevitable the transition process is very slow. The status quo is more comfortable than change. Wealth continues to flows into the bank accounts of oil moguls who probably fund research into alternative fuel technology. The small man keeps driving his oil driven car because that is what he can afford. This impedes research into the use of ethanol and also the massive crop production that will be necessary. However, the inevitability of change remains.
More and more people are wanting to know more about Ethanol for various reasons. One reason is because bio ethanol could run new vehicles.