Ethanol at Forefront on Earth Day

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May 2, 2017

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by Tom C. Doran (AgriNews Publications) Renewable fuels have come a long way since the first Earth Day 47 years ago, when gasohol was promoted as a way to reduce petroleum use.

As part of this year’s observance, Robert White, Renewable Fuels Association vice president of industry relations, reflected on the growth of alternative fuels and its potential in a podcast from the association.

“You think back at those early Earth Day years, and we still had leaded gasoline.

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White noted the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s recent data that found the so-called “blend wall” was shattered for the first time in 2016, when gasoline consumed by the U.S. contained more than 10 percent ethanol on average.

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“The use of ethanol in gasoline in 2016 reduced the carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector by 43.5 million metric tons. That’s essentially the equivalent of removing 9.3 million cars from the roads for an entire year. So it’s definitely a substantial part in reducing the overall emissions of our transportation sector,” White said in the podcast with Cindy Zimmerman of ZimmComm.

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He said ethanol helps minimize the harmful carcinogens in gasoline, expands octane, helps limit the aromatics and reduces greenhouse gas emission, carbon monoxide, exhaust hydrocarbons, air toxics such as benzene and fine particulate matter.

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“You look at the interest of Americans by and large to reduce their individual carbon footprint, to embrace things that are more renewable and made from renewable sources, ethanol is one of those examples. It’s one of the very few, if not the only one, that you can do and embrace all of those opportunities, but yet save money doing it,” he said. READ MORE and MORE (Greeley Tribune)

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