Ethanol is an American made renewable fuel that is high in octane and burns cleaner than petroleum. The use of ethanol provides many benefits to the economy and environment of the United States. Regrettably, there are numerous myths regarding ethanol that we would like to discuss.

Ethanol has three advantages: It's renewable, it can be domestically produced, and it burns cleaner than gas. Now, let's discuss the misunderstandings:


The Number One Myth about Ethanol
The biggest myth regarding ethanol is that it will cause major damage to an automobile because of it's corrosive effects. This is a complete myth. For proof positive, please view the following video:

American Coalition for Ethanol Video

Other Misconceptions About Ethanol

Does it take more energy to manufacture ethanol than ethanol produces?
Net energy balance is a term used to describe how much energy is needed to produce a product versus how much energy that product provides. Two professors that are long-time critics of ethanol claim that ethanol has a negative energy balance, but this is simply not true and has been debunked again and again by science. Scientific study after study has proven ethanol's energy balance to be positive. The latest USDA figures show that ethanol made from the drymill process provides at least 77% more energy as a fuel than the process it takes to make it. The bottom line is that it takes about 35,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units) of energy to create a gallon of ethanol, and that gallon of ethanol contains at least 77,000 BTUs of energy. The net energy balance of ethanol is simply a non-issue.

What impact does ethanol have on gasoline prices?
Ethanol adds to the overall supply of motor fuel in the U.S. and helps keep pump prices competitive and affordable. The blender's tax credit is usually passed down to consumers in the form of more competitive prices at the pump. According to the Consumer Federation of America, consumers who purchase gasoline blended with 10 percent ethanol could be saving as much as 8 cents per gallon compared to straight gasoline.

What about ethanol's impact on fuel economy?
Critics of ethanol often allege that because ethanol contains fewer British Thermal Units (BTUs) of energy, ethanol-blended fuel has a negative impact on gas mileage. In reality, variables such as speed, stop-and-go driving, tire pressure, and the weather's effect on driving conditions have a much greater impact on fuel economy than what fuel you use in your engine.

In 2005, ACE conducted a study comparing gas mileage between unleaded and E10, E20, and E30. On average, the difference between straight unleaded and E10 was only 1.5% - a negligible amount. Some believe that lower BTU value has a one-to-one impact on fuel economy - this research proves that is not the case. In light of this finding, more research is underway to examine the fuel economy of E85.

Is ethanol using up corn that should be used for human food?
In the so-called "food vs. fuel" debate, one major misconception is that the majority of the corn grown in the U.S. goes directly for human consumption. This is not the case. Actually, only about 9 percent of U.S. corn is used for human consumption in products like cereals, sweeteners, etc. The main uses for U.S. corn are for livestock feed or for export, with the industrial uses category - including ethanol - making up a smaller percentage.

In 2005, 14 percent of the U.S. corn crop went for ethanol production, and for the '06 crop that figure is expected to rise to 20 percent. By no means is the U.S. ethanol industry using up all the corn, and by no means is the U.S. ethanol industry going to create a food shortage. Certainly there is a world hunger problem, but the ethanol industry and the availability of corn are not to blame for this. Distribution problems and geopolitical instability in impoverished nations often stand in the way of better nutrition for the world's hungry.

Information on this page is credited to American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE)