 Within the past few years, we have seen a huge increase in alternative energy sources. Green gas is one of them! Green gas is the combination of ethanol with gas. This combination lowers the amount of pure petroleum gas consumed, burns clear and still provides optimum gas power. Most cars can run on a 10-90 ethanol mix. Flexible fuel cars can run on an 85-15 mixture which burns extremely clean and further reduces harmful pollution. Unfortunately, only one in 40 cars can run on this mix. Though ethanol is a great alternative to straight-gas, there are several things to consider as well :
- There's not nearly as much energy in ethanol as there is in gasoline.
- Creating significant amounts of energy from food crops would deplete the amount of land available for growing actual food for people to eat.
Despite these things, ethanol can still be used in limited amounts effectively! Mixed with other green and low pollution efforts, it can be extraordinarily beneficial to the environment. To understand why we should use green gas, we must first understand what green gas actually is. "Green gas" is includes ethanol, which is a grain alcohol. When it is produced in the United States, it is most often made from corn. In other places, other predominantly plentiful crops such as wheat, barley, and potatoes are used. There are many ways to make fuel-grade ethanol, the most popular and common of which is the dry-mill method.
- The corn (or other grain) passes through a grinding machine where it comes out in powder form.
- A mixture made of this grain powder, water and an enzyme enters a high-heat cooker where it's liquefied. The enzyme helps to break down the grain compound.
- The liquefied mash is cooled and another enzyme is added to the mix. This enzyme converts the starches into sugars that can be fermented to create grain alcohol.
- Yeast is added to the sugar mixture to begin the fermentation process. The sugars break down into ethanol (a form of alcohol) and carbon dioxide.
- The fermented mixture is distilled. The ethanol is separated from the solids.
- A dehydration process removes water from the separated ethanol.
- A small amount of gasoline is added to the ethanol in order to make it undrinkable. All ethanol used as fuel must be made inedible.
EnviroCitizen.org believes that green gas is a big step in the right direction. The use of leftover crops for the conversion of ethanol can decrease pollution and the use of non-renewable resources in a huge way. Green gas is certainly a wonderful alternative! |
