Environment
Gasoline is a complex mixture of dozens of chemicals, many of them toxic. Ethanol adds oxygen to gasoline—improving combustion and reducing toxic exhaust emissions. Adding ethanol to gasoline also dilutes the potency of these toxic chemicals—and greenhouse gas emissions.
Studies have shown that ethanol:
- Reduces tailpipe carbon monoxide emissions by as much as 30 percent
- Reduces exhaust volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions by 12 percent
- Reduces toxic emissions by 30 percent
- Reduces particulate matter (PM) emissions by more than 25 percent
Research by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratories shows that ethanol has the ability to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to Argonne, the production and use of 4.9 billion gallons of ethanol in 2006 reduced carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by about 8 million tons. That’s like taking 1.2 million cars off American roadways.
The Environmental Protection Agency noted that for every BTU of gasoline replaced by corn ethanol, the total lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions that would have been produced from that BTU of gasoline is reduced 21.8 percent. Such emissions account not only for carbon dioxide, but also methane and nitrous oxide.
Eliminating MTBE
Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is a fuel oxygenate derived from petroleum—and has been the primary competitor to ethanol in the transportation fuel marketplace. However, MTBE has been shown to contaminate groundwater and it is listed as a possible carcinogen. Therefore, MTBE has been phased out across the United States.
Ethanol is non-toxic, water soluble and is the most harmless and biodegradable component of gasoline. When gasoline is spilled on land or in water, ethanol is the first component to quickly, safely and naturally degrade.
Clean Air Solution
Ethanol has played a major role in helping many American cities meet or exceed clean air standards. The use of renewable fuels such as ethanol at certain times of year is required in many cities including Las Vegas, Denver and Albuquerque. Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Kansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Missouri, Louisiana and Washington require that all gasoline sold in the state contain at least 10 percent ethanol.
