New Advances in Green Engineering: Ethanol versus Methanol

With all of the talk surrounding alternative energy in recent years, it can be difficult for a person to keep it all straight.  How is one supposed to know what he or she is supposed to stand in support of when all of it seems so foreign?

Two of the most talked about forms of alternative energy are Ethanol and Methanol.  Many mistakenly interchange these terms, but do not be misled.  They are two very different substances that are formed in very different ways.  This article aims to discuss the differences between the two, as well as the advantages and the disadvantages of each.  You can decide for yourself which — if either — is worth your support.

Ethanol If you live in a rural area, then you are probably very familiar with the product behind the production of ethanol.  This alcohol is actually safe for consumption, but offers very little in the way of taste.  It will, however, power a vehicle, though it is rarely used in its pure form.  Ethanol is made of corn or grain, which is fermented and filtered to produce a very strong alcohol.  This is most often mixed with a small percentage of gasoline.  The combination serves two purposes.  First, gasoline is not safe for consumption, which means that the combination (called E85 – 85% ethanol to 15% gasoline) would not be purchased for alternative uses and is, as a result, not charged a beverage tax.  Secondly, most vehicles today are not equipped to accept pure alcohol.  Even those cars, trucks, and vans that accept E85 require a slightly different design and are grouped by the term flex-fuel vehicles.

So, it is obvious that E85 and pure ethanol have certain advantages over straight gasoline.  For one, this alcohol comes from a renewable source.  There are many, many acres of agricultural fields in the U.S. that could be used to grow crops for ethanol production.  That would mean support for the local agricultural industry and likely the addition of thousands and thousands of new jobs throughout this nation.  It also burns much cleaner than straight gasoline, which means less greenhouse gas escaping into our atmosphere and less pollution of our air.

However, there are a few downsides of ethanol and E85.  For one thing, it is that is it more corrosive than other fuels.  It has a tendency to eat through rubber and other non-synthetic materials.  That means that before we can enjoy its power in our vehicles, the industry must redesign the fuel system of each.  There is also a need to make E85 supply more easily accessible to the general public.  This could very well offer people a cleaner, sustainable, affordable fuel, but it will take some time and a lot of money to get it to the point it needs to be before it can become a true alternative to the gas that powers our world today.

Methanol While ethanol provides a rather safe alternative to gasoline, methanol continues to give scientists and engineers some difficulty.  Although this product is not widely used as a fuel to power vehicles and other machinery, it is produced regularly.  In fact, it is estimated that more than two billion gallons are produced per year.  The reason for this is that methanol is a common ingredient in antifreeze and formaldehyde.  It can be made from oil, natural gas, or coal.  Though it would seem obvious that, in today’s world, more emphasis would be placed on production from coal, there are many good reason for business-minded people to continue producing it from natural gas – including time and money.  A plant to produce it from natural gas can be built and up and running in far less time than it would take to start such a process using coal.

More than ever, there is a push now to introduce this fuel source as an alternative to oil and gasoline.  However, there is a great deal of concern about doing this because the alcohol compound is very volatile, having a highly flammable makeup and having a tendency to easily combust.  Nevertheless, efforts are being made to address these issues and make methanol a viable fuel source.

Among many other uses, methanol is commonly mixed in small degrees with ethanol as another way to deflect human consumption.  Though it has many uses today, the use of methanol dates back to the Ancient Egyptians, at which time it was used in the embalming ritual.  It wasn’t known in its purest form until the mid-1600s.  Nevertheless, this simple alcohol compound has survived many, many generations.  It offers an extremely clean burn and is almost colorless when burning, so it results in far less pollution.  Currently, the power of methanol is enjoyed in the fast cars in the world.  The Indy 500 features many race cars running on methanol fuel.

Whether you support one or both, one has to appreciate the fact that these alternative fuels do offer the potential for less dependence on foreign oil reserves.  They offer the opportunity to enjoy cleaner air and they could mean preserving this world for many generations to come.  It is only a matter of time before engineering brings these and other alternative energy sources to mainstream American in quantities large enough to make a big difference.