Questions And Concerns About Ethanol Production Efficiency

With all the talk about how good alternative fuels are, especially ethanol, questions about the overall effectiveness and efficiency have risen. Ethanol production efficiency has been questioned concerning its cost and energy savings. One serious problem that seems to continue arising is the fact that ethanol refineries need natural gas, or coal, to run the ethanol production equipment.

Many people have asked, if ethanol is such a good source of alternative energy, why then does it need another form of energy to be created? The answer would be, for some, that the technology to produce ethanol is still new and issues will be addressed as they come. Others cite ethanol production efficiency as lacking in that it takes more energy to create ethanol than is provided by the use of ethanol.

While all studies concerning ethanol production efficiency, and if it is worth producing, have used the corn and sugar base materials in their research, it has been noted that cellulosis can possibly make the efficiency higher once this process is proven commercially viable. There are other possible sources of ethanol that are only now being looked at. These sources, such as biodegradable trash, orange peel, vegetable oil, and others, make create a greater ethanol production efficiency than corn or sugar.

Does the Cost Support the Outcome?

The current production of ethanol largely depends not only on the corn crop in the US, but also on the petroleum which it is attempting to compete against. Critics of subsidized farming cite that without the farm subsidies, ethanol production efficiency would be lacking to such an extent as to shut down most of the ethanol production equipment. The other side of the argument states that these farm subsidies are needed to keep the market for ethanol within reach of everyone while new ways to improve ethanol production efficiency are created.

As of 2008 agriculture research has discovered a possible enzyme which may help in ethanol production efficiency by increasing the speed of fermentation and other elements in the process. There is also another argument against large scale subsidized ethanol production. Efficiency in the fuel usage for automobiles could be doubled thereby decreasing the overall need for other sources of energy. As with any newer technology, questions, concerns, and issues will continue to be raised concerning ethanol production. Efficiency at the levels needed will take time and effort; the problem is where the efficiency should be and how much is needed.