When blended with gasoline, ethanol produces a fuel that’s better for the environment. And something that I find really cool about it is that an ethanol blend can be used in gasoline-powered vehicles manufactured in the 1980s and onward! In fact, federal regulations require that most gasoline-powered vehicles run on a blend consisting of gasoline. In fact, federal regulations require that most gasoline-powered vehicles run on a blend consisting of gasoline and ethanol.
When you fill up your car next, you might notice that the pump says, “may contain up to 10% ethanol.” Ethanol burns more cleanly and completely than gasoline or diesel fuel and the reason it’s considered to be a renewable fuel is because of the feedstock used to produce it.
I’ve mentioned agricultural feedstock a couple times now, so I should probably also tell you it’s also called biomass!
Let’s talk about it in a bit more detail.