Ethanol´s Impact on the World

Ethanols impact

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Ethanol´s impact on the world

Ethanol is an alcohol which is distilled from grains such as corn, barley and wheat, its also called ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, and shortening as EtOH. Its chemical formula is C2H5OH. Ethanol can be used for many things such as a biofuel for cars and as a solvent, is the most widely used biofuel in the world.

Ethanol as it was mentioned above, has been an alternative and complement for oil based fuel in the motor vehicle industry over one hundred years now. Ethanol arrived as a new way to make a car run independent of the oil but throughout the years, oil leaded the industry and Ethanol became a complement for the oil as it increases the gasoline´s octane and reduce engine knocking. Additionally, in 2003 as the MTBE ( methyl tert-butyl ether) was banned as an oxygenating factor for gasoline given that it pollutes the groundwater and had some negative health and environmental impacts, ethanol became the oxygenating factor. Therefore, ethanol represents for society and economy a very important resource as it represents a solution for the world´s largest transportation system that increases every year as more people buy cars.

On the other hand, it has affected in many ways both in positive and negative ways our economy, environment and our health. For example the production of ethanol has increase the price and demand of the corn, it has also created new jobs thanks to the development of the economic activity caused by the production of ethanol, according to RFA “in 2015 the production of 14.8 billion gallons of ethanol supported 85967 jobs in the renewable fueled agriculture industries in the US” this way Ethanol is having a positive impact as it is creating so well paying jobs opportunities in so many countries and sectors of economy. But the ethanol industry have also faced many challenges as the demand of the ethanol production decreased in 2012.

Another aspect to take in account is the impact in the environment, it has been demonstrated that the use of ethanol blended fuel reduces the environmental consequences of gasoline consumption in the world, in accordance with the Union of Concerned Scientists “almost all the gasoline sold in USA contains at least 10% of ethanol, this can be safely used in today's gasoline burning cars or trucks”. However ethanol supporters say that the ethanol/gasoline blend should raise up to a 30% in order to reduce severe particulate pollution, improve gas mileage and drop gas costs.