Increase in ethanol in gasoline

jrb55gh

It is interesting that more fossil energy is required to produce gasoline than ethanol.

“According to (Argonne National Lab) calculations, the fossil energy input per unit of ethanol is lower—0.78 million British thermal units (Btu) of fossil energy consumed for each 1 million Btu of ethanol delivered—compared to 1.23 million Btu of fossil energy consumed for each 1 million Btu of gasoline

Some confusion arises because a portion of the total(not fossil or petroleum) energy input in the ethanol cycle is the “free” solar energy that ends up in the corn. Since the solar energy is free, renewable, and environmentally benign, it should not be taken into account in the energy balance calculations. While the total(includes solar) energy needed to produce a unit of ethanol is more than the total energy needed to produce a unit of gasoline, ethanol is superior when calculating either (1) the amount of fossil energy needed or (2) the amount of petroleum energy needed.”


This excerpt is from the government webpage:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehicles...hure_color.pdf