Ethanol 101: An Ethanol Primer without an Agenda

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There are many news articles surrounding the issue of ethanol available on the World Wide Web today. Many of these ethanol primers are more than just a tutorial. Instead, these ethanol primers not only provide an introduction, but also a spin on the world’s use of ethanol. Read below for some insights on the how ethanol is produced, how ethanol is used worldwide, and the economic concerns for ethanol use in America.

The method of deriving ethanol primer from starches is a four step process. Starches can come from a number of different sources ranging from sugar cane to beets and corn. The first step in creating ethanol is using enzymes to break the starches down into smaller glucose molecules. Yeast is not added to the starch until this step is complete as yeast cannot consume the size of the starch molecules. After the enzymes breakdown the starch into simpler molecules, yeast is added.

Fermentation and distillation are the two steps that follow the addition of yeast. It is the presence of yeast cells that allows fermentation to occur. These cells are kept in an anaerobic environment, or and environment without oxygen. This is to ensure that the yeasts cells undergo fermentation rather than aerobic respiration and produce ethanol instead of other waste products. The ethanol is then distilled to separate water and physical wastes from the ethanol.

Worldwide Ethanol Primer

India is currently facing a renovation of the nation’s sugar cane and molasses production to incorporate the production of ethanol with the hopes of creating blends of ethanol and gasoline, a cleaner combination than gasoline alone. One nation that has already reached the place of fuel self-sufficiency is Brazil. After tens of years of research and mishaps, the nation is finally seeing the benefit of the project that cost the nation billions of dollars.

So where does the United States stand in the world of ethanol primer, and the use of ethanol? Unlike India and Brazil, the United States does not have the amount of sugar cane available to produce the higher quality and more efficient ethanol that the other nations are producing. What sugar is available is derived from beets from the Mid-West and from sugar cane produced by southern states. Many American farmers and lawmakers are concerned that Brazil’s level of success will not be seen unless the United States implements similar restrictions and incentives to those in Brazil.