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| WHAT IS IT? |
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Ethanol is “ethyl alcohol,” 200-proof grain
alcohol. It is a colorless liquid that is distilled from agricultural
crops — usually corn. An ethanol plant produces fuel-grade ethanol, and
that ethanol is blended in a percentage with gasoline to make a finished
motor fuel. Currently in the United States, one out of every eight
gallons of gasoline sold contains ethanol.
Most ethanol is produced in the grain-growing states of the Midwestern
United States. The U.S. Department of Energy is also exploring ways to
make ethanol from sugar cane and crop wastes like corn stover and
switchgrass.
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 mandated the use of oxygenated
gasoline in areas with unhealthy levels of carbon monoxide. At the time,
the primary oxygenates were ethanol and MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether).
Subsequently, MTBE has been found to contaminate ground water supplies,
and the demand for ethanol has increased significantly. The Renewable
Fuels Standard, mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, calls for the
gradual escalation of biofuels use in the United States. This
legislation should stimulate the use of biofuels like ethanol and
biodiesel from 4 billion gallons in 2006 to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012.
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