Homework #5 Ethanol Plant

Today we went to an ethanol plant to learn about how sugarcane is used to create ethanol which is a renewable energy replacement for oil. There are many steps that go into converting sugarcane to ethanol. It starts with using solar energy to grow the sugarcane plant. The location we visited grew their own sugarcane, leased land where others could grow sugarcane, as well as imported even more of the plant. Once the sugarcane is harvested, it is put through a long process. 

                I thought overall that the plant was very well organized. Over the years a lot of their process was automated so there weren’t many workers around that I saw. The sugarcane was brought in by trucks and poured into a machine that crushed the juice 5 times using the same proccess. Interestingly, After the first round of crushing, 70% of the juice is extracted and the next 4 are used to get the remaining 30%. The liquid is then fermented with the use of yeast and distilled. The final product is an ethanol solution that is 93.8 % pure. Throughout the whole process, samples are taken to ensure everything is working properly and all levels are remaining constant.

Once again, I find myself conflicted with this process. Not only does it take an enormous amount of effort to create ethanol, but there are still CO2 emissions produced during the process which is bad for the environment. Furthermore, some engines cannot run off of ethanol so in order for this form of energy to really take off, new machines will have to be produced and purchased. While new renewable energies creates new jobs and markets, it also does not lend to an easy transfer from non-renewable options. If the end goal is a complete replacement of the current fuels and machines, ethanol with the current process seems costly and extremely difficult to implement.  

I am not trying to argue I don’t think we should use ethanol; I just believe it will be a very long time before it replaces a large percent of coal plants. Not only is ethanol less efficient than gasoline, but it is not compatible with 100% of  machines so responsibility falls on consumers as well to help make the switch. Consumers will have to fill up their tanks more often which is extra effort on them and in some cases buy cars that are compatible. With consumer behaviors in mind, it could very well happen that the supply of ethanol greatly surpasses the demand for it. 

I grew up being told promote "green" behavior and renewable energy and I do believe that everyone should. However just based off where our economy and resources are currently, I am left with a negative outlook on ethanol and renewable energy. The market does not usually adapt to things that require extra effort and switching over from coal would be more effort for consumers.