What does the "E" stand for in 'E-85' Gasoline?
E-85 (also called flex fuel) is a grade of gasoline that contains 85% Ethanol. Ethanol is a a colorless volatile flammable liquid C2H5OH that is the intoxicating agent in liquors and is also used as a solvent and in fuel —called also ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol.
Since 2005, U.S. ethanol production capacity has more than tripled and now stands at more than 13 billion gallons per year.
It is produced by yeast fermentation of carbohydrates or, synthetically, by hydration of ethylene. Most of E-85 for cars --an alternative fuel-- is derived from corn, grains or agricultural waste or it is chemically extracted from ethylene.
More Info:
www.merriam-webster.com
What are your thoughts on this subject?
66 Comments
Ben Mitchell
another wast of tax payer money.and corporate welfare by the idiot traitors that are suppose to be representing the people.ethanol is very harmful to gas engines.it has added very signifacant costs to the manufacture of automobiles it reduces the efficiency of gas engines it is useless and a wast of time and money.and a wast of precious water resources raised the price of food signifacantly,what a stupid idea from the leaches in D C
Eric Bittner
Thermodynamics is a cruel mistress.
Ethanol (EtOH) is NOT as dense a fuel source as pure gasoline. While the current US administration seems to not care for scientific facts, the numbers don't lie.
It takes 2 minutes to look up the enthalpy of combustion and densities for EtOH and gasoline on the NIST web-book (WolframAlpha is great for this as well.)
Here are the facts.
The energy density of EtOH = 23,425 kJ/L and the energy density of pure gasoline is 32,670 kJ/L. So assuming the 85:15 blend is by volume, the E-85 gas has only 76% of the enthalpy (i.e. heat released in the combustion) compared to normal gas and consequently, AT MOST 76% of the fuel efficiency compared to normal gas. That's assuming that the engine itself is as efficient burning E85 as pure gasoline.
In addition, one needs to include the fuel/water/fertilizer resources needed to grow, harvest, and transport the corn and the resources needed to ferment and distill the EtOH.
Thus, sound envirommental AND energy policy should not include subsidizing the corn industry. It is a poor replacement for gasoline. The best use of the corn alcohol would be to barrel it in oak, store it for 10 yrs, and enjoy.
Ayla
I don't have any
Sally
I went against my gut and 😞...
Kitty1015
Almost tripped me up on that one
Sigrid Wonsil
It would be great if the plant source were weeds and not food.
joalsteeds
Ben u said it all I agree with u 100 percent it's nice to see some one else who can think for them selves and questions every thing the
petekeegan
Ben Mitchell, they tried it back in the 70's too.Saying it would give you better perfomance.Bullshit
Gerald B. Curtis
E-85 refers to the percentage of gasoline in the mixture, NOT the percentage of ethanol.
A car would not run on 15% gasoline!
randyarledge
Cheating bastards. I said ethenal
Chuck Donelson
It did raise the cost of protein (chicken, beef, catfish, etc.) when it started. The cost of chicken increased by more than $1.00 per pound as did turkey. And, there were shortages for months. The comment about the tremendous increase of water usage is also quite valid.
Donna Staley
Montana "grows" ethanol here too.
gridirongreen
pamela h, Iowa has to pay big time for knocking the Buckeyes out of the ncaa football playoffs. Ten straight losses to the Buckeyes for you.
Marianne Frederick Halterman
What about the condensation Ethanol leaves behind!? I don't use it in my mower!
dlh
Yup yup!
pamela h
I live in Iowa and know all about ethanol. Iowa is a corn state. Ethanol is made from corn and burns cleaner and Ben Mitchell, it did not raise the price of food, not even corn. Ethanol is the same thing as adding heet to your gasoline in the winter time to keep it from freezing up. I live near a farmer here that has a contract with Budweiser who buys his whole crop of corn every year. Bet you didn't know beer is made with corn lol. Ethanol does not work well with vehicles '93 and older though.
Ramona May
I disagree. I have seen it manufactured. Ben Mitchell,