Advantages

Disadvantages

Ethanol is a renewable resource and

therefore is not permanently depleted when it is
utilised. This is highly advantageous with regards
to it being a fuel due to the fact that, unlike fossil
fuels and petroleum, ethanol can - at a
maintained and ecologically sustainable rate - be
conserved as a continuous fuel source. Provides
the opportunity for

Ethanol has a lower heat of combustion

(per mole, per unit of volume and per unit of
mass) than petroleum.
Meaning that less energy is produced
when burning at the same rate, in comparison to
the use of traditional fuels (i.e pure octane)
The use of ethanol as a fuel may require
the driver to refill their fuel tanks more frequently,
hence using ethanol could make it more
expensive to use as a fuel.

Renewable fuel because it is made from

plant matter mostly sugar cane and corn. Unlike
petroleum.

- Some ethanol-based fuels are more

volatile and this can result in an increase in
the emission of volatile organic compounds.
- During combustion, other organic
compounds are produced and must be
removed by catalytic converters in the exhaust
system of the vehicle.

THIS POINT IS REPEATED!

Countries such as Brazil has decreased its

dependence on oil and instead produces majority
of its fuel locally; domestically produced from
domestically grown crops.

Large amounts of arable land are required

to produce the crops required to obtain ethanol,
leading to problems such as soil erosion,
deforestation, fertiliser run-off and salinity.

Green fuel production: Ethanol burns more

cleanly in air - less carbon (soot) and carbon
monoxide means less greenhouse gases emitted
in the atmosphere.

Major environmental problems would arise

out of the disposal of waste fermentation liquors

Easy to transport, and suitable to use in

internal combustion.

Large amounts of land clearing in order to

process crops to make ethanol, means that fertile
soil is eroded and no more crops are grown.
When processing ethanol, large amounts of
Carbon dioxide is produced. Due to the absence
of plants the carbon dioxide is not asorbed a net
imbalance of carbon in atmosphere

Another advantage of using ethanol fuel is

that the two by-products can be used in a helpful
manner - the first is ethanol, the other is carbondioxide which can be fed to plants which are
being grown for the purpose of being fermented.

Typical current engines would require

modification to use high concentrations of
ethanol.

14,177 new jobs have been created to

support the growing production of ethanol.

Theres not nearly as much energy in

ethanol as there is in gasoline.
Traditional engines need to be

Ethanol can be sourced from waste

products and it has a higher octane rating, which
means more power

A gallon of ethanol takes more energy

than it provides when combusted. A slight net
energy gain.

Ethanol derived from cellulose consumes far

less fossil fuels. Very eco-friendly and doesnt produce
a large amount of Carbon Dioxide emissions.

Spills are difficult to contain and recover - they

blend with water and cannot be skimmed off
the top.
Manufacturing ethanol required copious amounts of
natural gas. Natural gas is used to fractionally distil
ethanol in heating process. Using so much natural
gas may not be sustainable.

Another alternative to produce ethanol is to burn coal.

Not clean and renewable. Australia is using electricity
and natural gas.