Ethanol and the Environment: Sustainability
How great does it sound to grow our fuel, just like we grow our food? Fuel would become a renewable resource, not limited to reserves built up eons ago. For countries like the United States, it would mean the end or diminishment of foreign oil dependence. For the world, ethanol fuel would burn cleaner than gasoline, reducing air pollutants and the system of growing fuel crops means that the crops would absorb the carbon dioxide produced by the burning of fuel.
Ethanol fuel production is not that simple however, producing a crop and then processing it requires large amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, water, land, and energy. It is possible that with some production methods, more energy is used to produce an amount of ethanol than there is energy in that amount. We present both sides of the issue on our website for the two viewpoints conflict and it is difficult to produce a conclusion.
A sustainable process is something that can be continued indefintely. In terms of ethanol fuel, Ethanol is seen as a renewable fuel that could substitute gasoline. If it takes more fuel to produce ethanol than the amount of energy produced, how can ethanol fuel be called sustainable or sensible?
We examine ethanol production's impact on the environment and any salutary effects it has in terms of replacing gasoline.
Ethanol fuel production is a sustainable process
Ethanol's proponents acknowledge the obstacles to be overcome and gains in efficiency to be made but still argue that the benefits of ethanol fuels outweigh the negatives.
Ethanol fuel production damages the environment
Some studies have shown that ethanol production is too inefficient to replace fossil fuels and critics cite enormous hidden envirnomental costs.
Sources
"Sustainability." US Environmental Protection Agency. 20 Dec 2007. 6 Jan 2008 http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/index.htm.