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Old 12-24-2013, 05:27 PM   #1
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Ethanol

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_...nol_drane.html


Has anyone converted to %100 ethanol fuel?

I've only seen it mentioned a few times on this site, and I think it should really be considered as an alternative to fossil fuels.

From what I understand biodiesel really isn't that sustainable, especially now that it's no longer free and it cost just as much as diesel.

Also I'm not talking about growing crops to distill them, ethanol can be made from WASTE, and something like 75-90 percent of what's left over from the distillation is animal feed! ..it can be made for around $1/gallon, if you distill it yourself. (Even if you buy it from another private local distillery, it shouldn't cost more than $2/gal)

In the US people believe that prohibition was all about people getting drunk off alcohol, really the main incentive was destroying a fuel that can be made at home for cheap without the need for shipping and taxing and all the other crap they do to the gasoline/diesel that make it actually cost more fuel to get it to your tank!

I'm imagining something like getting in contact with farms and factories that are producing tons of waste that can actually be turned into fuel, and buying it for cheap or even "taking it off their hands" for free.

By the way to build a still and start distilling and producing ethanol (up to 10,000 gallons a year) it only requires a FREE permit from the government


..so I thought ethanol fuel deserves its own thread, am I don't mean E85, I mean pure ethanol, derived from plant waste, AKA pure liquid sunshine

Please let me know what you all think..

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Old 12-24-2013, 06:08 PM   #2
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Re: Ethanol

I read the same article about 14 years ago back when I was making and running biodiesel in my 91 dodge with a 5.9 Cummins.
A friend of mine running a 454 chevy half ton made the ethanol still. He made his fuel out of wheat.
What we found is it used 10 times the energy to make the ethanol. Biodiesel cost under 70 cents a gallon to make at that time.

Fuel economy of the ethanol was much lower than running the 454 off pump gas. If you got 10mpg off pump fuel, you get 6mpg off ethanol.
Biodiesel fuel economy was 80% to 90% of regular #2 pump diesel of 1999. Now in 2013 with ultra low sulfur diesel has the lowest power per gallon in history, putting Bio diesel at equal, or more energy than pump diesel. Current price of home brew biodiesel in 2013 is $1.72 a gallon based off the price of methanol and caustic soda to convert it. That's over a $3 a gallon saving.

Running ethanol can also shorten the life of the engine as much as 75%. Biodiesel run engine can last as long or longer than running it off #2 ultra low sulfur diesel.

I no longer make biodiesel as I no longer drive a one ton truck or bus as a daily driver. I drive a little 87 Honda CRX that makes over 40mpg all day long smoking the tires at every stop light. At that millage, its not worth the time to make fuel.

Nat
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Old 12-24-2013, 10:50 PM   #3
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Re: Ethanol

Why does it take 10 times the energy to make ethanol?
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Old 12-24-2013, 11:35 PM   #4
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Re: Ethanol

The energy needed to boil the alcohol off the water so you can collect it in the condenser coil, and drip it into a catch bottle.

In comparison the making of biodiesel only needs to be heated to temperature once, then is left in the insulated vessel to react.
Also the oil is easy to use a a heat source without converting it. The ethanol is not usable until distilled. After distilling, the ethanol is too valuable to use a heat source. Wood or the fiber left over from a previous batch, ect would need to be used.

Nat
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Old 12-25-2013, 09:46 AM   #5
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Re: Ethanol

From doing methanol in race cars, you need almost twice the amount of fuel as gas. And its corrosive as hell to anything aluminum.. Also you needed more often oil changes from dilution. It also burns much cooler + the motors don't like to run on it when cold.
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