The use of ethanol has brought lots of advantages to the society. A benefit of it is that it is renewable. It has a higher energy density than some other alternative fuels. This means that less volume is required to travel the same distance. Secondly, ethanol decreases the emissions of the toxic ozone-forming compounds. For example, tailpipe emission of carbon monoxide from vehicles can be reduced by preferring ethanol over gasoline. Since ethanol is made from plants, it improves the agricultural economies by providing a stable market for a certain crops.

Boaters don't have to be all at sea when it comes to protecting the planet from pollution.

The call has gone out from President Bush to kick our oil habit. For many people, the mention of biomass as a fuel source was a new concept. Little did they realize they have already been putting it into their cars. Nope, that isn’t your dad’s gas anymore.

The world has placed virtually all its eggs in one energy source
basket...the earth's oil, gas and coal fossil fuel reserves. It must now learn how to slowly wean itself from it. The question is..."where do we
turn for the new source that will turn our energy wheels ?"

Electricity is a fundamental pillar to any modern society. Unfortunately, we need fuel to create electricity. This brings us to the subject of biomass as a new source of power.

Everyday we take some form of energy. Energy through food, energy through heat to keep us warm, and energy for fuel. And I mean gasoline , gasoline is a necessity that keeps our infrastructure and economy running. However the price of this necessity has risen from a dollar to three dollars, and it?s been coupled with our ongoing fight against global warming.

Due to this and many more reasons, the State of Union address the 20 by 10 Plan, that is a reduction of gasoline usage by 20% by the next ten years. And filling that void using alternative fuels such as ethanol. Though the 20 by10 Plan may be beneficial for the called for implementation of alternative fuels.
For one the production of ethanol would be harmful to us in the fight of global warming, it?s not cost effective, and three it is not as efficient as those who thought of ethanol before.

Bio-fuels are non-fossil fuels, produced from agriculture sources, residues, and waste. Bio-ethanol refers to ethanol produced from crops (e.g., corn-ethanol and sugar-ethanol) and from waste (i.e., biomass-ethanol). “The motivation for developing bio-ethanol as a transportation fuel is based on concerns about energy security, environmental quality, economic competitiveness, and stabilization of the agricultural sector.” (National Research Council [NRC], 1999, p. 6) Brazil’s three-decade experience in sugarcane-ethanol is considered a success by its government, although criticized by some researchers (Pimentel, 2001; Pimentel et al., 2002). Corn-ethanol production in North America is highly controversial; its cost, its energy balance, and its socio-economical effects are strongly debated between researchers. Biomass-ethanol, produced from farm and municipality waste is still in its early technological and industrial development. This quantitative research presents and analyzes the arguments, and concludes with recommendations for the short- and the long-term; recommendations that are best suited? for North America and that take into account all the aspects presented in this research paper.

Ethanol is a primary alcohol and can be oxidized to either an alderhyde or a carboxylic acid. [image]CH3CH2OH + [O] CH3CHO + H2O [image]CH3CH2OH + 2[O] CH3COOH + H2O The purpose of this experiment is to oxidize ethanol and then to test the product to determine whether it has been oxidised to ethanal or oxidised to ethanoic acid. Method We added 6cm³ of water to a pear-shaped flask, then added 2cm³ of concentrated sulphuric acid, and set up the apparatus as shown below, but with a stopper in place of the dropping funnel. We ensured that all the glass joints were greased. [image] We then had to make up a solution containing 5g of sodium dichromate in 5cm³ of water and add 4cm³ of ethanol. We had tom pour this mixture into the dropping funnel. We heated the acid in the pear-shaped flask until it was almost boiling and then turned off the bunsen burner. We then had to carefully remove the stopper and put the dropping funnel into the correct position, as shown in the diagram. We then added the mixture containing the ethanol at such a rate to maintain the boiling of the mixture in the pear-shaped flask. We collected the distillate and recorded our observations.

Switchgrass has long been a staple crop of farmers. It is used as fodder for farm animals, fuel, and electrical needs, as a buffer strip and soil erosion control. However, when President Bush introduced The Biofuels Initiative during his 2006 state of the nation address, he moved this native prairie grass’ use as an energy crop to the forefront.

The issues associated with the continued of fossil fuels are complex. What is undisputed, however, is the world is turning to meet the challenge through renewable energy.