McPherson High School
McPherson, Kansas
Teacher: Robin Long
Gasoline or Other Fuels
By: Crystal Hendrix
12th Grade
We are running out of gasoline. With the war in Iraq, we need to think of [alternative] power….
[Some alternative] fuels…are Ethanol, BioDiesel, Natural Gas, Propane, and Hydrogen.
Ethanol is produced domestically from corn and other vegetables. There are two kinds of ethanol. There is anhydrous and hydrated ethanol. The anhydrous ethanol…can be blended with gasoline. It will reduce…air pollution…. [On the other hand,] hydrated ethanol is mixed with ethanol and water. It is [a] flexible-fuel that vehicles can run on…. Most…engines will operate with both ethanol and gasoline. The [Ford] ethanol fuel vehicles are [the] F-150 FFV, Crown Victoria FFV, Grand Marquis FFV, and Town Car FFV.
Then there is BioDiesel; it is derived from vegetable oils and animal fats and can replace regular diesel fuel. …Municipalities recover oil from the grease traps to run the city trucks. [Being derived from] waste oil, [biodiesel] has obvious environmental benefits. [In addition,] the biofuel vehicles get more miles to the gallon of gas than the cars today. …[This biofuel] can run diesel engines that are commonly found in trucks and boats. It is already available to [many] county and private fleets. [Biodiesel] can be blended with regular diesel as well. The biodiesel fuel will help engines last longer. …Most people don’t [realize] how much money they would save if they had…biofuel vehicles
Next, we have natural gas; it is a fossil fuel that generates…less…air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Natural gas is found in oil…and natural gas fields. Natural gas is used in over 60 million homes all over the United States.
Propane is the same way. It does what natural gas does with the pollutant and greenhouse gases.
The last one is hydrogen, which can be produced from fossil fuels such as coal, nuclear power, and renewable resources. This is a fuel that cell vehicles that are powered by pure hydrogen emit. There is no harmful air pollutants form the fuel….
The pros and cons of the fuels and the vehicles that we can use and that we have [available now] are many. The pros of the fuels and vehicles are that we will have better air and more [fuel to] go around. Most of the vehicles we have already can use these fuels without having to be worked on. …The cons…are that more people will be using these [vehicles] and that [will cause a shortage]…. If more people knew about the alternative fuels, then they would want to use them to save money and [decrease] air pollution. …That means that they will cost more money then the vehicles cost now.
Now it is up to the people. I would choose to go with the alternative fuels and vehicles. But it is up to the people. The different fuels that we can use are already out there. The vehicles that aren’t out are coming out in years to come. They are finding more and more ways to save gasoline by replacing it with…alternative fuels.
www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/activitybook/fs-biodiese/.html
www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/current.shtml
en.wikipedia.org