McPherson High School
McPherson, Kansas
Teacher: Robin Long
What Do We Have Left?
By Chrysalus Cofran
12th Grade
We are running out! $1.20 to $2.25, how much do we have left?
When people go back in time to the 1930’s, there was a new type of technology. They found how to put gasoline in cars. Now 70 years later we are using the exact same fuel, except we are running out. We need an alternative.
One alternative we are using today is ethanol. Ethanol is a corn, wheat-based additive. With ethanol people increase the octane and decrease the emissions. Also it costs less than regular gasoline. Ethanol can be used in most cars people drive today. With good there is always bad. With ethanol, stations are limited. People who do not live in the Midwest have limited areas to fuel up. In New York they do not have any ethanol stations, California only has one station and in Illinois they have 100 stations.
Another kind of alternative fuel that we are using is methanol. Methanol is similar to ethanol gas. Methanol has a higher level of octane than ethanol. Methanol has a dangerous, invisible flame. It is extremely corrosive and has a high amount of CO2; only flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) vehicles can…use this type of alternative gas.
Natural gas is another alternative fuel. Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons, but is mainly compromised of methane. It can be compressed into compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG): which is used for long distance traveling. Natural gas is substantial domestic stock meaning the United States of America does not have to depend on other countries. It is also clean-burning, [that is] it does not release polluting particles into the atmosphere and it is available to end-use consumers meaning it is commercially available directly to the [American] customers…. [The] price of CNG is normally cheaper than regular gas. Natural gas is [also] inexpensive to produce.
Natural gas has bad qualities too. The demand for natural gas is high in…areas [with] industrial and electrical power generators. It may be inexpensive to produce, but the process needed to compress and liquefy…is very expensive and energy-inefficient. Natural gas cannot easily and efficiently travel overseas without being compressed or liquefied. Prices of natural gas have gone up at a faster rate than predicted. Even though it is great to use it is highly flammable with [the] potential [for] frequent leaks [to] occur in natural gas pipelines.
In the wide world of diesel there also are alternatives such as biodiesel. BioDiesel is an [up and coming] product that many farmers, truck drivers and other customers are trying out now. People must be thinking what is it and how is it made? BioDiesel is a combustible fuel that is physically similar to petroleum diesel but made from natural and renewable sources. [As] with all of the alternatives we use today there is a limited [supply]. …There is a blend of 20 percent biodiesel with 80 percent petroleum that can and is used in all diesel-burning equipment and some oil heat boilers. BioDiesel is made with fatty acid alkyl esters, which can be made from any vegetable oil or animal fat. In the U.S., we make…half of biodiesel production…using soybean oils, and the remaining…half is recycled from restaurants' cooking oil, [used to make] the French fries we all love. The oils are mixed with alcohol, such as methanol, and a catalyst, like sodium or potassium hydroxide, to produce a chemical reaction giving off fatty acid methyl esters and a glycerol co-product to finish it.
Like everything else, there is a [down] side.... The use of biodiesel increases the levels of harmful nitrogen oxide in diesel engines. When set out by itself biodiesel releases the same amount of hydrocarbon. With biodiesel there is a term people need to know, “clouding point”. Clouding point is when biodiesel in a liquid form begins to thicken into a solid at low temperatures. Because of the clouding point, biodiesel is more difficult to store and transport in cold climates, which adds to its cost.
With the world the way it is today we need to find more and more alternatives. I let people see the good, the bad, and the ugly about ethanol fuels, methanol fuels, natural gases, and biodiesel. Our ties with the Middle East are [unpredictable]. People may think that we have enough gasoline, but in all reality, we don’t. We are running out and so we need to find different ways to produce it [or else, alternatives to it].
www.cecarf.org/programs/fuels/fuelfacts/fossilfuelfacts.html
www.cecarf.org/programs/fuels/fuelfacts/Bio-fuels%20facts.html
abc.go.com/Technology/story?id=1718746&page=1
abc.go.com/Technology/story?id=1718746&page=2
abc.go.com/Technology/story?id=1718746&page=3
abc.go.com/Technology/story?id=1718746&page=4
e85.whipnet.net/yellow/methanol.html
Answers To Questions Prompted By The Required Reading
1. Gassahol is a byproduct exclusively from_________ and _________ whereas cellulosic ethanol can be produced from agricultural waste such as ________ and _________.
A- corn and sugar cane, wood chips and cornhusks
2. Why did auto makers produce cars that could operate using ethanol as well as
gasoline before there was an adequate number of service stations that could
provide ethanol?
A- To get a break from fuel-economy standards
3. When were the first cars produced that were capable of using ethanol?
A- The Model T cars produced by Henry Ford in 1908
4. In a paragraph, describe Brazil’s experience with ethanol. What did the Fortune article claim was Brazil’s key to success?
A-Brazil has one of the best climates to grow sugar cane. A shortage of gas caused widespread of scares in Brazil. Since then they have been making ethanol, and now they can be self-sufficient on fuel needs. In addition, it keeps the money in Brazil instead of going to other countries such as Saudi Arabia.
5. What is the significance of a yellow gas cap?
A- It means that the car is E85-ready.
6. Describe bio-diesel.
A- Renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from natural oils. Bio-diesel is also biodegradable and non-toxic.
7. Explain the term “flex-fuel engine”. What American auto manufacturer
introduced the first prototype of a flex-fuel engine?
A- Vehicles that let drivers switch between ethanol and gasoline and any combination of both. Ford first created these vehicles in 2002.
8. Trace the progress of H.R. 6 for viewers to our web site. (dates introduced, amended, pass or rejected)
A- The energy bill ensures electric system liability. It extended the service date for renewable energy to December 31, 2007. It funds $5.1 billion for low-income energy until 2007.
9. What is the purpose of the fuel hybrid vehicle commercialization initiative?
A-To improve technologies for the commercialization of hybrid/flexible fuel vehicles. It is intended to reduce petroleum consumption by bringing new clean technologies to the market faster.
10. What is the nation’s largest renewable energy resource?
A- Hydroelectric dams.
11. What is the purpose of the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative?
A- To develop the technology to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen for use in fuel-cell vehicles.
12. List seven items mentioned in the 2005 energy tax bill that taxpayers can claim as credits against their tax bills.
A- 1) Tax credits will be given for energy efficient offices and homes. 2) A tax deduction equaling the cost of the energy saving equipment if it cuts the consumption by half. 3) There will be tax credits for the purchase of equipment that achieve certain energy levels. 4) There will also be one for manufacturers who produce highly efficient dishwashers, clothes washers, and refrigerators. 5) You can receive a thirty percent tax credit for purchasing solar, photovoltaic, and fuel cell properties in residences. 6) Gives tax credits for the purchase of alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicles. 7) Provides $2.7 billion in production tax credits to encourage the production of clean renewable energies.