Ethanol, A Natural Giant

The planet that we share with one another has faced some trying times over the millennia. Earth’s name, soon enough, might be mud. But we’ve got a home-grown fuel and it has a name. It’s called Ethanol. Can it save us? Do we have the resources and willpower to change what’s worked for us since the first automobile was designed and mass produced? This is not an easy undertaking, but change can start with ethanol. Ethanol is not an end-all solution, but every little bit helps in the plan to keep the Earth green and flourishing. Ethanol can help. Here are some of the troubling cause-and-effect situations belittling our planet today: †¢ Deforestation is destroying much of our old-growth forests. †¢ Landfills are bubbling near-capacity with a toxic stench. †¢ Rainforests are being depleted and with this depletion comes the utter extinction of plant and animal life that was bound to rainforest habitat. †¢ These flattened rainforest landscapes are scraped to ash and dirt, and thus destroying any chance of discovering future cures for any of the countless diseases penetrating the human race. The ozone layer is thinned out by all the pollutants humanity sends into the sky. SKIN-AND-BONES So, what’s the answer? The part of the answer can be solved if we, as a global society, get eco-conscious, eco-energetic and simply eco-global by allowing the many uses of Ethanol to become a staple in our lives. We do this, or else†¦. we’ll die. That may be a wee bit too dramatic. But the point that I’ m trying to make is that ethanol has bushels and bushels of ways to benefit this Green Earth we live on. At this point, we need all the help we can get. So, as society continues it’s sweltering pace with technological advancement via computers, we, in turn feed on this technological boom as it gels into other fields, namely: automotive, aviation, agriculture, and even recreational sports. All of these fields, as different as they are from one another, are bound to one likeness: energy. They use energy, in one form or another. Be it oil-based and wood-based fuels. And, at the rate we’re going, the oil pollutants oozing into the sky will destroy our ozone and clean us out if we don’t take affirmative action. FREE THE ETHANOL DEBATE. Ethanol can be viewed as one small stepping stone, but we need somewhere safe to step. Ethanol can be that foundation so we can move forward with change. It’s time to get pro-active against the wasting away of the earth. Ethanol’s multi-tasking capabilities are too good to pass up. Ethanol needs to become familiar as email. Fifteen years ago email was virtually unused by mainstream society. But look at its explosion today. It’s a way of life, a communication medium that we cannot live without†¦until the next great techno-advancement reaches us. Ethanol might be our email of tomorrow, our new fuel that communicates to use, â€Å"it’s time to change. One main consideration with Ethanol is simply this: it can save the environment and give us freedom—freedom to be independent, instead of co-dependent on imported oil. Along with this, it can aid in balancing our Nation’s trade. The Far East has much of the world at i ts fingertips, with its monopoly on oil. Currently, the United States imports more that half of its oil. And oil consumption continues to rise. If we support ethanol production and use it wisely, automobile drivers in the United States can aid in turning this trend around. It’s high time we rearrange the way the United States views oil consumption. In order to change a view on gas consumption—one that, unfortunately, is held by most people that own a vehicle—it’s going to take something much more than a snappy ad campaign supported by a few charismatic major Hollywood figures. For even the most catchy ad slogan only goes so far in altering an individual’s need for fuel and travel. Even in our current times of rising gas prices, the same number of people, by-and-large, still drive to work and travel, using basically the same amount of gas and burning the same pollutants into the ozone and the air we breathe. The only thing that’s changed since oil prices went through the roof is this: people’s budgets have changed so that they can afford to pay more to get where they need to go. Many don’t realize the power and gratification that could come from using Ethanol in lieu of the standard gas at the pump. Ethanol comes from a natural, renewable resource: corn. Corn, for instance, is grown in abundance in Illinois. Illinois alone produces over 685 million gallons of ethanol annually, marking it the largest ethanol producer in the United States. There are many other Plain-State regions that specialize in farming out corn as well. CORN IS GOLDEN The perks for ethanol continue to unfold. Not only can it free us from the stranglehold of international oil trade, but, because corn is the primary source in producing ethanol as a commodity, farmers become beneficiaries as demand for ethanol increases. As ethanol production supplies become a consistent demand, so too will the surplus of corn. The escalating ag-industry currently uses over 270 million bushels of Illinois corn annually. This is about 17% of corn surplus. This, in turn improves corn prices, which will please various segments of the agricultural world. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with having happy farmers tending the crops, either. This is a win-win situation. Just for numbers sake, it’s important to break down ethanol. One bushel of corn yields 2 ? gallons of ethanol fuel. Starch is the only ingredient in corn that is used to make ethanol. We can also take advantage of the unused corn protein and other valuable co-products remaining in the corn. For instance, that same bushel of corn is capable of producing the following: †¢ 1 ? pounds of corn oil †¢ 12 pounds of 21% protein feed †¢ 3 pounds of 60% protein gluten meal 17 pounds of carbon dioxide (used to carbonate soda) Technology today has sophisticated means of converting starch to sugar. This sugar is then mixed with yeast which, in turn, converts the sugar to ethanol. The benefits for ethanol, as can be seen by all this data, are great. There are, however, antagonists who believe that it takes more energy to produce ethanol than is gained in this t ransfer process. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. For, on average there’s a 33% net gain (more than 25,000 BTU’s) while the industry’s best shops yield an 87% net energy gain. Now we move to recreation. Yes—even the sporting world can benefit from ethanol’s primary source: corn. Technology on the greens has gone eco-green. Here, I’m speaking of golf. A traditional Eco-tee was developed from a blend of composite materials and natural additives. The PLA (polylactic acid) tee is made from renewable material straight from the farmer: corn. Not only is eco-tee planet-friendly but it’s more durable and biodegradable. It will also last roughly five times as long as the PLA tee. A tiny golf tee may not seem like it’d make a dent in our save-the-earth campaigns, but over 2 billion golf tees are used annually, just in the United States. By using the eco-tee you are helping to save millions of trees that are clear-cut each year. Just think, a trip to the links with a bag of eco-tees can help save a tree. So, it can be seen that the uses of ethanol are wide and varied. It’s time to take a stand, believe in the change and start to use ethanol. Not only is it a breakthrough in saving on gas consumption, but the agricultural businesses can gain from this resource, deforestation can be slowed, not to mention that fact that playing golf with eco-tees can drive us in the right direction. Take a stand, believe in this technology, become eco-conscious, and go ethanol.