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What is ethanol? How does it help stop air pollution? People might say that it would be cheaper than gas, but since they are using corn for most of the supply corn prices will raise, since it is already been used for animal feed, humans eat it and place it is hard on the nutrients in the soil so there needs to be a counter crop to replenish the soil. Report Abuse The population from ethanol production comes from the extra chemicals needed to grow all the corn, so it ends not being that much better or cost efficient than fossil fuels. Also if they used beets instead of corn it help it be more efficient, since it is easier to get ethanol from beets. Report Abuse ranjith does not know anything. It is NOT cheaper, and it is having a snowball effect on many other prices. Farmers see more profit in corn, and many abandon soy, wheat, vegetables, and others for the quick buck, creating a huge imbalance between supply and demand, and prices rise. {continued} Report Abuse Also, corn is used for literally 1000%26#039;s of other things, like pet and farm foods, oils, medicine, breakfast cereal, etc. They have to fight to get enough from the oil companies. {continued} Report Abuse The oil companies embrace it at a 10% mix, because the car makers say the cars can handle it, and it makes the big oil seem %26quot;greener%26quot;. There are NOT enough acres in the USA, if you bulldoze every town, city and highway, to grow enough corn to meet our current demand. Report Abuse The ethanol does more polution than the gas.It is a gas alternative but that does not meen better. Report Abuse ya Ranjith just copy pasted from wikipedia%26#039;s first paragraph. Ethanol is increasing the price of food. It will increase pollution in other areas because of its use in automobile. Report Abuse To say that ethanol is better for the environment than gas is wrong. It is the same, if not worse.

Corn is the main thing that is used to create ethanol. However, other plants like switch grass grow on their own without cultivation and give more ethanol than does the equivalent amount of corn.
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Other Answers (4)

  • Ethanol is ethyl alcohol, C2H5OH, produced from sugars and starches by fermentation in wine and beer and in mashes for distilled drinking alcohol. It is used as a fuel additive to reduce air pollution by reducing the flame temperature to reduce production of nitrogen oxides. It is unsuitable for sole use as a motor fuel in the United States because it requires as much energy to make as it provides. However, some crops produce sugar at a lower energy cost than is achievable in the US, and Brazil produces a large quantity of ethanol for use as a motor fuel.
  • as others have explained, it is an alcohol. in the u.s., it is made from corn.

    the problem with ethonal is making it is causing food prices to climb.

    poor people can%26#039;t afford food.

    another problem is ethonal is production.
    it takes close to one unit of energy to produce one unit of energy (currently).
    gasoline takes 1 unit to produce 5.

    once it is made and in your car, you lose again.

    there are less btu%26#039;s per gallon in ethonal than gasoline.

    btu%26#039;s are the measurement of work.

    you have to burn more ethonal to travel the same distance compared to gasoline. (approximently 10% less)

    this means you have to buy more, and you pollute more, compared to gasoline.
  • Ranjith sums it up nicely. The catch is! It still pollutes, and producing corn and sugar cane to make it does cause large scale destruction. It also push up food prices , farmers now produce bio fuels instead of food.
    It is still researched and on the list of posible alternatives.
  • ethanol,
    is a flammable,colourless,slightly toxic %26amp; a chemical compound
    for more information visit
    www.wikipedia.com
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