Prendergast.Lowell

The overall problem at hand is Global Warming; unfortunately it is becoming reality. Global Warming is mainly caused by the adverse effects of greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gases enable planet earth to contain life; the earth would be too cold to sustain life. The heat supplied by the sun’s radiation is reflects off the atmosphere to the earth by the greenhouse gasses. This warms the earth to a life sustaining temperature; a.k.a. the greenhouse effect. The consumption of fossil fuels cause greenhouse gasses to increase; the gasses will reflect more and more heat back to the earth’s surface therefore increasing surface ground and water temperatures. As a result, ecosystems around the world are changed. media type="youtube" key="5zLuqSYF68E?fs=1" height="385" width="480"
 * __What is the Problem at Hand? __**

__**What is the Driving Force of the Problem? **__ The consumption of fossil fuels is the primary driving force of the problem. As fossil fuels are burned, CO2 is released into the atmosphere; hundreds of thousands of tons of CO2 are released each day. The increase of burning fuel acts directly with the increase of released CO2 causing greenhouse gasses to increase in volume. media type="youtube" key="yyNqFs1ONfI?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

Alternate fuel sources are being researched, made, and used to serve similarly as gasoline but without the negative effects. Ethanol based fuel is a prime example of having similar service properties.
 * __What are People Currently Doing or not Doing to Solve the Problem? __**

**__Ethanol: How it’s made and how it runs in an engine compared to gasoline__**.

The constant raising gas prices and decreasing availability has motivated consumers and scientists to research and discover an alternative fuel source. According to their studies, converting an engine to burn Ethanol instead of gasoline will essentially result in a cleaner burn and a reduction of the carbon footprint. //A mixture of 95 percent Ethanol is better than conventional gasoline//. Henry Ford even designed his Model T to run on Ethanol (When..). “Ethanol is a high octane, liquid, domestic and renewable fuel, produced by the fermentation of plant sugars. Ethanol can also be produced from a number of different materials including paper and agricultural waste” (NEVC). The specifics derived from Ethanol’s production can help to understand its positive effects. Alcohol and Ethanol are similarly produced; in fact, ethanol is 100 percent alcohol. Farm raised crops, such as corn, syrup, sugar cane, etc., are significant ingredients used in the process. Corn is the most commonly used crop. The natural starches are easily broken down, making it the most abundant and fast growing crop in the world (How…). It is harvested and milled into flower or “meal”. The meal is mixed with water then boiled to kill bacteria. Yeast is then added to the mixture to react with corn’s natural sugars; ultimately, CO2 and Ethanol is created. In order to produce pure Ethanol, the mixture is distilled or boiled off. The resulting Ethanol is 190 proof or 97.5% alcohol. It can also be dehydrated to 200 proof and 100% alcohol (How...). Due to its production procedure, Ethanol is said to be an extremely beneficial fuel source. “Ethanol is 100% biodegradable” (Dambach); it burns 100 percent clean and is made of renewable resources. Having little toxic effect to the environment and living organisms, Ethanol spills will not result in major chemical disaster. Instead, pure water is a by-product of burning Ethanol (Small…). This is great for the environment but not for a buyer looking for a car with good mileage. Unfortunately this leads to one disadvantage of Ethanol; due to the water that is produced when Ethanol is burned, a car engine will have poor mileage.



media type="youtube" key="59R-NqykoXs?fs=1" height="385" width="480" 

With a 113 octane rating, Ethanol is the highest performing fuel on the market; it keeps today’s high compression engines running smoothly (Ethanol Facts). A higher octane rating implies a more complete burn of the fuel. The longer burn cycle gives the engine an increase in power and a decrease in fuel-use per each cycle (Rand). In fact, a smaller amount of ethanol will burn as long as it takes a larger amount of gasoline to burn. Power is generated throughout the entire chemical reaction of the fuel inside the engine allowing an engine to last longer, run better, generate a larger horsepower to size ratio, and require less maintenance operation; conventional low octane gasoline can only generate power at initial explosion (Rand).

"Ethanol fuels help to keep ones fuel system clean for optimum performance because it doesn't leave gummy residue” (Ethanol Facts). As a strong solvent, it is capable of cleaning a fuel system with built up residue from gasoline and other chemicals. Some negative effects can exist temporarily; however, the fuel passages are eventually cleared and the fuel flow experiences a pressure increase similar to its original, “like-new” pressure. Ethanol can alternatively serve as antifreeze to protect a fuel system from cold climate; perfect for high performance automobile industry.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="poTGr8ONgl0?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Burning gasoline presents many negative effects and disadvantages. As a fossil fuel, crude oil is drilled and pumped from the ground then transported and refined to make gasoline and other major gases used all over the world. This process requires massive amounts of energy to get the gasoline to a usable state (Rand). It has a shelf life of about one month; it becomes stale with age. As a result, it lacks the ability to burn readily in an engine, it generates less power, and an inefficient engine becomes more inefficient (Rand). Burning gasoline, especially the cheap, low octane gas known as “regular,” exhausts dirty black smoke. The smoke gives off a bad odor and is very dangerous to inhale (Rand). Gasoline leaves a gummy residue in a fuel system and combustion chambers of an engine causing a decrease in engine performance and a rise in maintenance costs. Improper maintenance can result in a complete fuel system re-build costing up to 500 dollars according to Ryders Cove Boat Yard (Stuart). Chemical additives designed to prevent such disadvantages can be expensive and unreliable.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are many applications for Ethanol use. “Fact- All mainstream manufacturers of power equipment, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and outboard motors permit the use of ethanol blended fuel in their products” (How…). Gasoline at most filling stations in the US contains 10 percent Ethanol to assist in slightly decreasing emissions and cleaning the fuel system. The blend of fuel can be burned in any car or boat engine. “As an additive, the use of ethanol as a fuel has the ability to allow for cleaner combustion and to lower air emissions. Ethanol is comprised of much fewer chemicals than Gasoline” (Dambach). Fewer chemicals imply less harmful emissions. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ethanol fuels are being tested vigorously; “There are no malfunctions or operational driving difficulties attributed to ethanol fuels,” (Stuart). It is a fact that Ethanol burns very similarly to gasoline. Little to no adjustments are required for most engines to switch over to burn Ethanol. Burning gasoline and ethanol in separate, identical engines expresses similar observations and data. Observations derived from the RPM scale show Ethanol’s ability to match the gasoline power output. It is also capable of getting the engine up to the same WOT (Wide Open Throttle) RPM. This is possible because Ethanol burns at a hotter temperature, thus burning more of the fuel and increasing efficiency. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Minor adjustments to a 3.5 horsepower, Mercury, four stroke engine was tested to burn ethanol; observations expose the capability of the engine to run on Ethanol just as well as it does on gasoline. To get the engine to run as well as gasoline on Ethanol, the carburetor jet was slightly larger than the one used for gasoline. “Enlarge main jet inner diameter by 20-40%” (Dambach) to richen the fuel-to-air ratio of the mixture so it will burn correctly. Ethanol cannot readily burn at low temperatures because of its higher octane level than gasoline; the spark advance timing was advanced by 1 or 2 degrees BTDC (before top dead center) so the fuel has enough time to ignite. “Hoses replaced with Viton B, O-rings replaced with Butyl” (Dambach); rubber gaskets, O rings, and rubber hoses must be replaced with Ethanol safe materials to prevent it from eating away at them. Once the adjustments were dialed in correctly, the engine had no trouble running on Ethanol. The difficulty of starting the engine was the only issue regarding the use of the Ethanol. Correction to this problem is easily treated with Diethyl Ether, otherwise known as starting fluid (Dambach). This can be bad for the engine because of the extreme volatility of starting fluid; however, it shouldn't harm the engine if the right amount is used (Rand). If the engine is run in warm weather, starting will not be an issue. The starting fluid is only needed for very cold starts around 30o Fahrenheit. This problem may be capable of fixing itself if the compression ratio of the engine was increased. This is a very expensive procedure and it requires a complete disassembly of the engine. As for observations of the burning of each the gasoline and Ethanol through the exact same engine portray an obvious difference. Ethanol’s exhaust appears clean and lacks traces of smoke or smog; therefore expressing the cleaner burn of Ethanol.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ultimately, Ethanol is capable of being an alternative fuel source for gasoline. It is 100% natural, renewable, biodegradable, efficient to burn, and it burns clean. Conveniently, an engine does not require much work to convert to the alternative fuel and it runs almost the exact same. There are far more benefits of Ethanol than that of gasoline; therefore, through the progression of research into Ethanol, it is bound to take over in the future.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ethanol can be made from Bio-waste!!!!! <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="9dagKpg1P0g?fs=1" height="385" width="480"


 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How much CO2 does it produce? __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">C2H6O +3 O2 --> 2CO2 + 3H2O

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To figure out how much CO2 is released I will start with 100g of ethanol. **__

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">100g C2H6O * (1 mole C2H6O)/(46g) * (2 mole CO2)/(1 mole C2H6O) * (44g)/(1 mole CO2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">= 191.3 Grams of CO2 produced from only 100 grams of ethanol. This is almost 2 times the original amount of fuel burned.


 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Water? __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">100g C2H6O * (1 mole C2H6O)/(46g) * (3 mole H2O)/(1 mole C2H2O) * (18g)/(1 mole H2O) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">=117 Grams of pure water created.


 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Compared to conventional gasoline __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2C8H18 + 25O2 --> 16CO2 + 18H2O

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*use 100g of gasoline

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">100g 2C8H18 * (1 mole 2C8H18)/(114g) * (16 mole CO2)/(2 mole 2C8H18) * (44g CO2)/(1 mole CO2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">=308.75 Grams of CO2 produced from only 100 grams of gasoline. This is almost 2 times the amount of CO2 created by the combustion of ethanol.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="TIRY77faclQ?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

==<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Works Cited ==

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. “Use of Ethanol in Small Engines” [|www.NCGA.com] 21 November 2010 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">< []> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. [|www.DrivingEthanol.org]. 21 November 2010. <[]> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. “When you are ready for a new engine for you Rod, Think “all American” Ethanol fuel.” [|www.gearheadcity.com]. 22 November 2010. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><[|www.gearheadcity.com/ethanol.htm]>. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4.“Ethanol Facts: Engine Performance” [|www.ethanolRFA.org] Renewable Fuels Association. 21 November 2010. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><[]> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. “NEVC” [|www.e85fuel.com] National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. 24 November 2010 <[|www.e85fuel.com/e85101/questions.php]> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. Dambach, Erik. Han, Adam. Henthorn, Brian. Ethanol as a Fuel for Recreational Boats. Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Professor Charles Wyman. 9 March 2004. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7. “How Ethanol is Made.” [|www.ethanolrfa.org]. Renewable Fuels Association. 23 November 2010 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><[]> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8. Rand, Kevin. Personal Interview. 9 September 2008. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9. Stuart, Matt. Personal Interview. 15 November 2008.