About Alcohol as a Fuel Source

"Rising energy prices and global warming have led to increased interest in alcohol as a fuel. Alcohol has been used as a fuel in other points in history but fossil fuels have become the dominant energy resource for the modern world."

"The first four aliphatic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol) are of interest as fuels because they can be synthesized biologically, and they have characteristics which allow them to be used in current engines. One advantage shared by all four alcohols is octane rating. Biobutanol has the advantage that its energy density is closer to gasoline than the other alcohols (while still retaining over 25% higher octane rating)."

"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 those obtained from other sources. However, ethanol that is derived from petroleum should not be considered safe for consumption as this alcohol contains about 5% methanol and may cause blindness or death. This mixture may also not be purified by simple distillation, as it forms an azeotropic mixture..."

"Brazil is by far the largest producer of Alcohol Fuel in the world, typically fermenting ethanol from sugarcane and sugar beets." Source: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_fuel

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