Ethanol is a renewable, alternative fuel that is domestically produced. Ethanol is the main alternative to gasoline in the Northwest and the main biofuel produced in the U.S.

Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, and EtOH. It is a clear, colorless, flammable, oxygenated hydrocarbon that is water soluble, non-toxic, and biodegradable.

The main feedstock used to make ethanol is corn, but other feedstocks are also used, such as sugar beets, sugar cane, culled potatoes, or rye. Soon cellulosic material such as switchgrass, grass straw, wheat straw, pulp, mixed waste papers, saw dust, wood chips, and other forest residues will be converted into ethanol.

• Reduces carbon monoxide emissions by 30%
• Reduces particulate matter emissions by 50%
• Reduces volatile organic compound emissions by 12%
• Reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 18-29%
• Biodegrades in water and soil
• "Carbon neutral": growing plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere that is later released during combustion

• Attracts customers to retail station fuel pumps
• Typically cheaper than gasoline
• Lowers gas prices by increasing our fuel supply
• Decreases our reliance on foreign oil
• Keeps jobs in the U.S.
• Creates jobs in the U.S., a typical ethanol plant creates 32 full-time jobs
• Revitalizes local economies

• Is as high-octane fuel, which translates into the engine generating more power
• Ethanol octane rating: 113
• Premium unleaded gasoline octane rating: 93
• Regular unleaded gasoline octane rating: 87
• Acts as a gas-line antifreeze during cold weather
• Corrosive to older natural rubber hoses and lines. This is a concern mainly in older vehicles because newer vehicles (starting around 1994) use synthetic rubber

• Most ethanol plants are located in the Midwest; however, an ethanol plant has opened in Oregon and more are currently in construction in the Northwest
• Largely transported by truck and rail; only a few ethanol plants are located along major waterways (the more economical option)
• Pipeline distribution is the least expensive; however ethanol is not allowed in U.S. pipeline infrastructure

In 2007, the Indy Racing League switched to using 100% ethanol as the official racing fuel.

Nearly one-third of U.S. gasoline contains small amounts of ethanol. Most ethanol sold in Washington is E10 and Oregon gasoline will contain 10% ethanol starting in 2008.

Ethanol is used as an octane-enhancer and an oxygenate to meet strict EPA air pollution standards. Ethanol has become a substitute to MTBE, formally a widely used oxygenate now found to contaminate groundwater and soil.

Brazil has the largest ethanol industry and is the second largest producer after the U.S.. Gasoline in Brazil contains blends of at least 20% ethanol and almost half of Brazilian cars use 100% ethanol in ethanol-only engines and flex-fuel vehicles.

Increasing ethanol production in the U.S. still does not meet our increasing demand. U.S. demand for ethanol in 2006 was 5,377 million gallons, production was only 4,855 million gallons, and 653 million gallons had to be imported.

Year	Ethanol Produced (millions of gallons)
1990	900
2000	1,630
2006	4,855

Source: Renewable Fuels Association

Ethanol has a lower energy content than regular unleaded gasoline. To get the same amount of energy in 1 gallon of gasoline, you would need 1.5 gallons of E100 or 1.4 gallons of E85.

Ethanol has a high octane rating, resulting in providing more power to the engine. It also burns cooler than gasoline and keeps engines clean.

To determine the net energy balance, lifecycle analyses are performed by comparing energy inputs to energy outputs throughout the entire fuel's production process. When comparing the energy balances of two fuels, such as ethanol versus gasoline, it is important to consider the entire production cycle and not just the energy content in the end product.

The Argonne National Laboratory developed a peer-reviewed model to evaluate fuel lifecycles. The model is called the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model.

According to GREET, the fossil energy input required for one unit of ethanol is lower than the fossil energy input required for one unit of gasoline.

Fuel	Fossil energy consumed (input)	Fuel energy produced (output)
Ethanol	0.78 million Btu	1 million Btu
Gasoline	1.23 million Btu	1 million Btu

Beyond GREET, the majority of studies conclude that ethanol has a positive net fossil energy balance, meaning there is more energy available in ethanol than what is required to produce ethanol.

To read more on ethanol's energy balance, click here.

Ethanol is produced by the fermentation of grain or other starchy plant materials. There are two production processes: wet milling and dry milling.

Dry mill facilities account for more than three-fourths of ethanol production because the facility can be smaller, making production easier and simpler. A byproduct of dry milling is dried distillers grain with solubles, which is used as a livestock feed.

Wet milling facilities produce more valuable by-products than dry milling, such as corn gluten meal and feed, corn germ meal, corn oil, high fructose corn syrup, and carbon dioxide for soft drinks and dried ice. But wet milling facilities are more costly to build and operate than dry milling facilities.

A third ethanol production method produces cellulosic ethanol. There are 6 cellulosic research facilities in the U.S. and one cellulosic ethanol plant being built in Georgia.

Over 92% of ethanol is made from corn and the remaining 8% from grain sorghum, wheat, or barley. A bushel of field corn will produce approximately 2.7 gallons of fuel ethanol and 10.9 pounds of high protein livestock feed.

The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council and the Renewable Fuels Association offer explanations of wet milling, dry milling, and cellulosic ethanol production methods.

Pure ethanol is 100% alcohol. To avoid heavy beverage taxes, pure ethanol is denatured by adding denatonium benzoate, methanol, or gasoline to make the alcohol unfit for human consumption.

Blends of E10 and below, as well as E85, are EPA certified ethanol blends; of which, only E85 is considered an alternative fuel. DOE and EPA are testing higher blends of ethanol, including E12, E15, and E20.

The majority of fuel ethanol is consumed as E10 (also called gasohol), a fuel blend of 10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline. E10 is not considered an alternative fuel. Every major auto manufacturer approves the use of E10 or less in their engines. To read what owner's manuals say about using E10, click here.

E85 is a fuel blend of 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded gasoline and is defined as an alternative fuel. E85 is only to be used in flexible fuel vehicles or EPA certified converted vehicles. However, most gasoline vehicles can run on E50 without any modification to the vehicle.

To find out if you can run your vehicle on E85, check your owner's manual or gas cap, or visit www.e85fuel.com/information/vin.php

E85 is mainly available in the Midwest, though it is offered at a large number of stations in the Northwest. To find stations selling E85 use the CWCCC station locator or the DOE station locator.

A flexible fuel vehicle can run on E85, 100% gasoline, or any mixture of the two fuels. FFVs qualify as an alternative fuel vehicle under the EPAct of 1992. FFVs have the same power, acceleration, payload and cruise speed when running on E85 or 100% gasoline. The only difference is lower fuel economy when using ethanol.

FFVs have a single fuel tank, fuel system, and engine. They also have corrosion-resistant components. FFVs are equipped with an oxygen sensor in the fuel line to detect the amount of ethanol in the fuel, adjusting the fuel injection amount and timing depending on the level of oxygen present. FFVs also have a three-way catalyst system to reduce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbon exhaust emissions.

FFVs are available at no additional cost compared to a similar dedicated gasoline vehicle. There are more than 5 million FFVs driven in the U.S. FFVs are available as sedans, minivans, SUVs, and pickup trucks.

Check out this FFV Cost Calulator.

To see how many E85 stations and FFVs are in your state, click here.

To find what FFVs are on the market, search the following websites:

• www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/byfueltype.htm
• www.eere.energy.gov
• www.cleanairchoice.org/outdoor/FlexibleFuelVehicles.asp
• www.ve85.com/Vehicles/

Every major automaker in the world approves the use of E10 or less in their engines.

Using ethanol does not void an engine manufacturer's warranty. Warranties only cover the manufacturer's parts and workmanship and do not cover any fuel, whether it's gasoline or ethanol.

• Use of a particular fuel should not void the warranty.
• However, if the fuel causes damage to the engine, the damage is not covered by the warranty.
• Problems specifically caused by any fuel are not considered manufacturing defects and generally will not be covered by any engine or fuel injection OEM warranty.

Ethanol is slowly transforming its image from a Midwest, corn-derived fuel. Two ethanol plants are located in Oregon, Pacific Ethanol in Boardman (operating) and Cascade Grain in Clatskanie (scheduled to be in operation by spring of 2008). Also, cellulosic ethanol is gaining momentum as an alternative to grain (corn) ethanol.

Ethanol is typically produced from the starch, but it can also be produced from cellulose. Cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls and is the most common organic compound on earth.

Cellulosic ethanol takes advantage of the "waste" materials such as corn stalks, rice straw, wood chips, or "energy crops" of fast-growing trees and grasses, which are currently unused and disposed.

Cellulosic ethanol isn't widely used because it is more difficult to convert into usable sugars for ethanol production. There are only 2 cellulosic ethanol plants in North America, both located in Canada. One production-sized cellulosic ethanol plant is under construction in Georgia and DOE has given grants to 6 pilot-scale plants.

Cellulosic ethanol is particularly promising in the Northwest because biomass materials are in greater abundance and it's expensive to transport ethanol from the Midwest. In the Northwest, the most readily available biomass feedstock isn't corn but timber and agricultural residues from wheat straw and grass seed straw. Also, cellulosic ethanol production in the Northwest would create local jobs, keep revenues in this region, and divert waste normally sent to landfills.

• www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ethanol.shtml
• www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/ethanol.html
• www.drivingethanol.org/
• www.ethanolfacts.com/index.html
• www.afvi.org/index.html
• www.ethanolproducer.com/index.jsp

Q:	Isn't ethanol making the price of corn soar, thereby increasing the cost of food?
A:	Food prices are rising due to increased fuel and energy prices (related to increased petroleum costs). Most corn grown in the U.S. is for livestock feed, not for human consumption. When corn is used for ethanol, the leftover corn "mash" is still used to feed livestock. Crop prices across the board are increasing (not just for corn) and are mainly due to the higher the price for fertilizer, pesticides, diesel, and transporting costs. Also, recent studies find a "weak correlation" between corn prices and food costs. Only 4% of the change in the food consumer price index is because of the changing price in corn. Instead, rising energy prices impact food prices significantly more than corn because energy costs impact every product on the shelf. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, out of one dollar spent on food: 38 cents pays for labor costs 24 cents pays for packaging, transportation, energy, advertising, and profits Only 19 cents pays for food inputs (like grains)
Q:	Because of ethanol, is there less corn available for us to eat or to feed our livestock?
A:	Only a fraction of field corn is used for human consumption. In 2005, cereal accounted for just over 1% of total corn use. The majority of field corn is used for livestock feed. Ethanol production only removes the starch portion of the corn kernel and the protein, vitamins, mineral and fiber are left intact and sold as high-value livestock feed (dried distillers grains with solubles).
Q:	What about the food versus fuel debate? Aren't we diverting the corn supply from feeding other nations to fuel our cars?
A:	The food versus fuel debate argues that the corn the U.S. would usually export to other countries is now being used to produce ethanol. But the majority of corn exports are to developed countries as a livestock feed product. Also, demand for corn is higher than normal. But this is driven largely by crop shortage in other countries because of droughts, crop diseases, storms, and growing populations.

Click here for more Ethanol FAQs.