Ethanol class

With it being so hot outside I figured it would be a good time to find out a little more about ethanol.
Alcohol fuels are usually of biological rather than petroleum sources. When obtained from biological sources, they are sometimes known as bioalcohols (e.g. bioethanol). It is important to note that there is no chemical difference between biologically produced alcohols and that obtained from other sources.

Bioalcohols are not used in most industrial processes, as alcohols derived from petroleum are usually cheaper. Many economists argue that this fact illustrates the economic infeasibility of using bioalcohol as a petroleum substitute and argue that government programs that mandate the use of bioalcohol are simply agricultural subsidies.

Recent "full up" energy analyses have shown that there is a net energy loss for use of bioalcohols. Use of more optimized crops, elimination of pesticides and fertilizers based on petroleum, and a more rigorous accounting process will help improve the feasibility of bioalcohols as fuels.

Ethanol and methanol both have advantages and disadvantages over fossil fuels, such as petrol and diesel. For instance, ethanol can run at a much higher compression ratio without octane-boosting additives (its octane rating is 129 as opposed to approximately 91 for ordinary petrol). It burns more completely because ethanol molecules contain oxygen; carbon monoxide emissions can be 80-90% lower than for fossil-fuelled engines[citation needed].

However, ethanol is corrosive and has 37% less energy per litre than petrol. Methanol is even more corrosive and its energy per liter is 55% lower than that of petrol. High compression ratios and corrosion-resistant materials can overcome these issues, but require extensive engine modification.

Methanol has also been proposed as a fuel of the future. There has been extensive use of methanol fuel in Funny Cars for years, and it has been the fuel of Indy car racing in North America since 1965.

From Wikipedia.