Ethanol and Cleaner Air. Renewable with Our Own
Crops and No Foreign Oil...a Good Idea?
report by Jennifer Weiss

Corn has proved to be an extremely useful vegetable since the days when the Indians first cultivated it in New England.  Once only consumed by animals like us, technology now allows us to feed it to our cars and other small engines – snowmobiles, chainsaws, outboard motors, lawnmowers – in the form of E 85.

E 85 (85 % ethanol, 15 % gasoline) has become a popular fuel choice in Illinois.  25 years ago, it was “E 10,” which contained 75% less ethanol, as its name suggests. Nicknamed “gasohol,” it was touted as an environmentally-friendlier fuel because of the reduced emissions it made spew from car tailpipes. Early developers of the new fuel had problems with the nature of ethanol because of the acetic acid – vinegar – that was created when it went bad. The acid would eventually corrode car parts.  Consumers who used E 10 could literally pickle their pistons, which made the new technology cost-ineffective. 

Ed Squire, former technical manager for DuPont, worked to develop an additive for the ethanol fuel that would prevent this corrosion.  He and his coworkers eventually succeeded.  Still a proponent of ethanol fuels after 30 plus years of aiding in the development of the technology, Squire believes that using corn to produce ethanol has and will continue to benefit Illinois. “The farmers of Illinois will come out in good shape,” Squire said recently over the phone.  “The environment might come out in good shape, too.”

E 85 – the higher concentration ethanol fuel that is found in roughly 15 service stations across Illinois today – is a high octane renewable fuel.  According to the Illinois Corn Organization, the higher concentration of ethanol in E 85 cuts air pollution, decreasing ground level ozone 25% and air toxics like benzene by 80%.  Both carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions are also reduced, and all at a cost that stimulates Illinois’ farming communities and state economy.  And, in this era where America’s watchwords seem to be Reduce Our Dependence on Foreign Oil, an American-grown fuel created in a state that produces oceans of corn each year seems like a dream come true.  With recent incentives introduced by governor Rod Blagojevich, it seems that production will only strengthen in the coming years.

Showing a commitment to further research, development and usage of ethanol fuel, Blagojevich signed three bills into law June 11.  The new laws extend the state tax exemption on ethanol for 10 more years, create a new tax credit for biodiesel fuels (fuels which are made with soybean oil) and provide incentives for building renewable-fuel plants in Illinois.  A brand-new plant will emerge on land southeast of Rochelle in the coming year, one of 13 new plants that are under construction nationwide.  Voters in Rochelle decided two weeks ago that environmental and economic benefits would outweigh possible costs in the production of the new facility. 

73 ethanol plants are currently up and running in the U.S., producing 2.9 billion gallons of ethanol annually.  Ethanol production nationwide reached record levels this May, when production was determined to average out to 175,000 barrels per day.

As you can probably guess, the Midwest is a hotbed for ethanol production.

“Illinois is a tremendous corn state, and you almost have to have a corn farm nearby to be able to make the stuff,” Squire said.  He went on to explain that extensive importing of corn would make any endeavor to produce ethanol fuel cost-ineffective. Every bushel of corn grown in Illinois can be made into 2.5 gallons of ethanol. Because only corn starch is used to produce ethanol, the corn retains its nutritive value (in protein and oil.) Illinois actually tops the nationwide list of ethanol producers, churning out 45 % of the nation’s ethanol. Every ear of corn grown in Illinois has increased in value in the past decade because of the increased popularity of ethanol fuel.

If you’ve recently bought a car, your vehicle is compatible with ethanol fuel. Major auto manufacturers produce 500,000 Flexible Fuel (E 85) vehicles annually. Some older Chevy pickups, Ford Taurus models, and Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth Minivans can also run on E 85. How would switching to E 85 affect your wallet? In this time of inflated oil prices, E 85 is priced competitively with mid-grade and premium fuels. Consult your owners manual or contact your dealership if you’re unsure how well your car would fare on the fuel.

“This is a great time to try E 85 because it fights air pollution, costs less than gasoline and it’s made right here at home which helps our state’s economy,” Director of Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs Pat McDonough is quoted as saying on a brochure distributed by the Illinois Corn Growers Association. “E 85 burns cleaner than gasoline, reduces carbon monoxide emissions, ozone formation, and also reduces carbon dioxide emissions.” Want one more perk? Ethanol eliminates the need for a gasoline antifreeze in the winter.

But don’t expect to drive off into the sunset quite yet. Research done on E 85 shows that it isn’t simply a white knight in the battle against global warming. In a speech to the World Fuels Conference in 1999, President of Chevron Products Company Patricia A. Woertz discussed the pitfalls of a once-popular fuel additive called MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether.) according to Woertz, MTBE boosted octane and helped reduce benzene and sulfur emissions. When it became too popular too quickly, she explained, the additive began to poison California’s drinking water. After burgeoning into a huge problem, MTBE was phased out. Ethanol is now taking its place.

“It has some pluses, but some big downsides as well,” Woertz said in her speech of ethanol as a fuel additive. “By its nature, ethanol evaporates more rapidly – and that makes ozone worse. And ethanol has a quirky need to be alone – to separate in the presence of water. That means we refiners have to blend gasoline at terminals, not at refineries.”

However, the most obvious downside to using E 85 is that fewer service stations nationwide offer the fuel as an option. Many states don’t offer a single E 85 pump. Numerous gas stations in Oak Park offer fuels that contain 10% ethanol, evidenced by stickers on the pumps, but the closest E 85 fuel location is a Clark retailer in Forest Park.

Where Jackson Street meets Harlem, a gas station called “Thornton’s” has a methanol pump. Located next to the air tank, the pump sports one green nozzle on either side of the pump’s retro-looking silver body. After asking around, I learned that the pump had been nonfunctional for at least a year, and that I had been the first to even inquire about it in a very long time. Thornton’s manager, Dennis Riedel, declined comment.

Although methanol rhymes with ethanol, and is sometimes found in a familiar-sounding mixture called “M 85,” it is actually very different from E 85. The major difference between them is their origins – methanol is derived from natural gas in the United States (coal elsewhere), not corn. Methanol has been touted as a clean-air fuel, along with ethanol, but is considerably more problematic. In fact, according to www.ne-ethanol.org, car warranties do not cover the use of methanol-based fuels, while nearly all automakers approve the use of ethanol blends. This reluctance on the part of car dealerships stems from the fact that Methanol forms formaldehyde, a carcinogenic chemical, when incompletely combusted. Ethanol yields a relatively harmless chemical under the same conditions. Methanol, furthermore, is corrosive, water-soluble, and can hardly be shown to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. 

If studies continue to show that E 85 is cost-effective, harmless to humans and environmentally beneficial, we may see changes in its availability on the road ahead.