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| {{topic header| default.png |Alcohol fuels}}
| | #redirect [[Alcohols as fuel]] |
| {{Lang|[[Das Ethanol|Deutsch]] - [[Alcohol fuels|English]]}}
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| '''Alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol) can be used as fuels''' in several engines (internal combustion engines and Stirling engines).
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| ===Types of fuels===
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| '''Ethanol''' is the most widely used liquid biofuel. It is an alcohol and is fermented from sugars, starches or from cellulosic biomass. Most commercial production of ethanol is from sugar cane or sugar beet, as starches and cellulosic biomass usually require expensive pretreatment. It is used as a renewable energy fuel source as well as being used for
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| manufacture of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and also for the production of alcoholic beverages.
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| {| align="center" cellpadding="5" style="width: 95%; background-color: #EEEEEE; border: 1px solid darkblue; text-align: left;"
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| |The substitution of ethanol for gasoline in passenger cars and light vehicles in Brazil is one of the largest biomass-to-energy programmes in existence today. Engines that run strictly on gasoline are no longer available in the country, having been replaced by neatethanol engines and by gasohol engines that burn a mixture of 78 per cent gasoline and 22 per cent ethanol by volume.<br><br>Technological advances, including more efficient production and processing of sugarcane, are responsible for the availability and low price of ethanol. The transition to ethanol fuel has reduced Brazil’s dependence on foreign oil (thus lowering its importexport ratio), created significant employment opportunities and greatly enhanced urban air quality. In addition, because sugarcane-derived ethanol is a renewable resource (the cane is replanted at the same rate it is harvested), the combustion of ethanol adds virtually no net carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and so helps reduce the threat of global warming.
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| Source: Goldemberg et al, Renewable Energy, Sources for Fuels and Electricity, 1993
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| '''Methanol''' is produced by a process of chemical conversion. It can be produced from any biomass with a moisture content of less than 60%; potential feedstocks include forest and agricultural residues, wood and various energy crops. As with ethanol it can either be blended with gasoline to improve the octane rating of the fuel or used in its neat form. Both
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| ethanol and methanol are often preferred fuels for racing cars.
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| ==Local manufacture and involvement==
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| {{Main|Ethanol production}}
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| Many biomass conversion technologies for rural applications are easily manufactured by local artisans or by small and medium sized engineering workshops. In Zimbabwe, locally made equipment for large scale ethanol production has led to the lowest capital cost per litre for any ethanol plant in the world.
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| ==Present status==
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| Ethanol production programmes have been initiated in several developing countries. The success of the Brazilian programme is mentioned earlier in this technical brief while in Zimbabwe for example, an annual production of about 40 million litres has been possible
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| since 1983, using locally manufactured equipment.
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| {{content from|Original:Biogas and liquid biofuels|Practical Action}}
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| {{Stub}}
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| == See also==
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| * [[Ethanol-based hand sanitizer]]
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| == External links ==
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| * [[Wikipedia:Alcohol fuels]]
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| * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_fuel wikipedia alcohol page]
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| * [http://www.permaculture.com/alcohol/index.shtml Alcohol can be a gas]
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| * [http://web.archive.org/web/20060220145641/http://www.westbioenergy.org/reports/55032/55032final.htm Converting a vehicle to run on Ethanol]
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| * [http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/id1.html Fuel Ethanol FAQ]
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| [[Category:Biofuel]]
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| [[Category:Alcohol_fuels]]
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