Ethanol Fuel essay 4 17 2010
The best thing I learned in college I can put in my gas tank.
A Hungary Harley fueled with party leftovers.
Once upon a time in 1973, in the US of A, there was a boy who set off on his Harley Davidson motorcycle to seek knowledge at an institute of higher learning miles away. There was at that same time, half a world away, a group of evil sultans from the land of OPEC who decided to punish the people of the US of A by withholding and raising the price of their oil and gasoline. The price tripled from 3 to almost 12 dollars per barrel. This worked well for them and there were lines and shortages and unhappy people at the gas pumps. “What will I do?” thought the boy. “If we run out of gasoline how will I get home to my family at semester’s end? I will just have to find a way to make my own fuel.” He remembered a Jules Vern novel he had read. The hero , Phillious Fogg saved the day by substituting brandy for the depleted fuel supply of their Zeppelin. With this in mind the boy went to the library and studied up about alternate fuels. He read about how farmers coped with fuel shortage during the war. Suddenly he had the answer. A large number of the other guys who lived in his dorm were real party animals. The morning after a party there were always a large number of unfinished drinks sitting around. He could simply pour them all together and separate out the alcohol for fuel. So that’s what he did.
His distillatio
n device consisted of a popcorn popper and a wine jug coupled to various tubes and fittings borrowed from the chemistry lab. It worked reasonably well till he let the pan boil dry and the excess heat cracked the wine jug. What a smelly mess. Fortunately that’s what the dorm usually smelled like. The fuel he did produce (less than a gallon) also worked reasonably well in his Harley. Just advance the spark till it ran right. Not as much speed but OK to get from here to there.
That is where his initial interest in producing alcohol fuel ended. He did not fix his still or make another drop of alcohol for 35 years. Why bother? The oil embargo ended. Gas was once again plentiful although higher priced. Making alcohol in the 1970s was still a federal crime. But the biggest factor in changing his priorities……….He met this girl……..Sold the Harley and bought an MGB convertible. They graduated from college, got married, had kids, and lived happily ever after…….untill they realized that the petroleum fuel that was being pumped out of the ground for fuel was causing damage to the earth, air and water and that we needed a clean renewable alternative that can be used in cars and trucks on the road today ……….To be continued……
You CAN free yourself from Oil Industry control
You can legally make your own fuel for less than a dollar a gallon. The technology is here right now to use this fuel in your car. Starting with E85 which is 85% alcohol and can be found at some filling stations.
Indy cars go more than 200 miles an hour on pure alcohol fuel. They have been using this fuel exclusively since 2006 season.
If the Exxon Valdez had been loaded with ethanol fuel instead of crude oil when it ran aground in Prince Williams Sound there would have been no environmental disaster. The spilled alcohol would have been diluted and dissipated in the sea. Yes the sea otters and other marine life would have been frisky for awhile and really grouchy the next day but there would have been no need for an expensive cleanup, and there would not still be toxic residue on the shore.