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10% Ethanol...Blessing or Burden

While filling my tank the other day, I noticed a little message stuck to the pump...

The message indicated that the gasoline may be mixed with Ethanol up to 10 percent.

So the positives about this change would be that the ethanol is derived from corn instead of a fossil fuel, the change is forcing the general public to adopt alternative fuels, and it reduces our dependence on foreign fuels. I am amazed Georgia jumped on board...

The negatives of this step seem to keep cropping up. Corn may or may not be our golden solution to energy problems. It isn't like we are putting ears of corn into our tanks, it takes energy to convert the kernels into the fuel and some of this energy is derived from fossil fuels. Apparently Ethanol and rubber are not great friends since engines fitted with rubber parts that would be exposed to the fuel will wear out faster than with traditional gasoline. (Additional problems have been noted with fuel blends that contain more than 10% Ethanol). Not to mention that the amount of corn needed to supply the country is being ravaged by the demand for this fuel. And, Ethanol isn't cheap- it costs almost as much as gasoline due to demand.

So, is there Ethanol in your area? What is your opinion? Were you surprised by the sticker when you filled your tank? What alternate fuels do YOU try to use?

Corn photo from home.howstuffworks.com

"Car" photo from www.tdc.ca

Posted by Kelly Bringman on 05/13/2008 09:54 AM

Comments (3)

ethanol, save gas, corn, tank, energy, fossil fuel

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3 Comments on 10% Ethanol...Blessing or Burden

Corn crops feed people which I believe is more important than the 10% fuel addivtive.

05/13/2008 10:03 AM

by Gary Waters - Real Estate Agent Viera Suntree (Century 21 Baytree Realty www.moving2brevard.com)

Or how about the fact that food prices now have 2 reasons to be higher. One is that fuel costs are higher, so transportation costs are higher, therefore food prices are higher.

but the 2nd reason, I heard farmers are subsidized to grow corn. which (I think) means that it becomes more profitable for them to grow corn instead of , say wheat. Less wheat, means less wheat products (cereals, flour, etc), which also means higher prices. Anyone notice how expensive pizza has been getting?

Sometimes great ideas in theory are terrible ideas in practice.

05/13/2008 10:11 AM

by Peter Z. Nikic

Kelly - I agree that we must find alternatives to fossil fuels, but (corn-based) ethanol is not the answer right now. In addition, to the potential engine damage that you sighted, increasing corn prices are driving food prices up. The supply of other crops is down as farmers convert to corn and the supply of feed corn for livestock is also down. A recent article in Discover Magazine cited 2 studies that both conclude the environmental effects (clearing land, etc) of converting to ethanol would be so damaging that it would take 40-190 years to offset.

Most importantly, the price of beer has already increased in Europe as a result of their ethanol initiatives. If this happens here, we really will have the Second Great Depression!!!

05/13/2008 10:12 AM

by Erik Hitzelberger, --Louisville-Bullitt County Real Estate (RE/MAX Alliance)

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What does the graphic say?