Alcohol Fuels

Patrick L. Booth

Patrick L Booth, Guest Editorial: Brazil burns Alcohol for fuel because it has had little oil available to it but has lots and lots of sugar cane which has about 6 times as much sugar available to turn into alcohol than does corn. In the USA we foolishly burn our food product, corn, to produce alcohol (which is a wonderful industrial solvent but poor fuel) to mix into our oil based fuels supposedly to make our oil fuels burn more cleanly and to satisfy a stupid environment movement that has no ability to comprehend the consequences. It doesn't, of course, but it has and does increase the prices of both fuels and foods which the Democrat Socialist do like.

Alcohol has about 1/2 the total energy by weight that gasoline does and requires twice as much in an engine to produce the same power as does gasoline. That means adding 10% alcohol to fuel decreases power by at least 5% requiring that much more throttle to be used burning even more fuel than the engine would have without the alcohol additive. The side effects are that the solvent cleans oil from off the cylinders and valves, hardens rubber, plastic, attacks aluminum parts, etc. thereby shortening engine life. Outboard motors all over the country have been utterly destroyed because the users did not comprehend the dangers of putting a solvent in their fuels. Fortunately, some premium brands of gas have no alcohol content and thus can be used in small engines and outboards without harm.

Everything we consume is delivered to every store in every town in every state all thru the nation by vehicles which burn diesel fuels including the tractors that farmers use to grow those foods, etc. It would be much wiser, economical, and more environmentally friendly to grow oil producing plants whose products could expand bio-diesels lowering prices for every commercial carrying truck, train, and aircraft that uses DIESEL for fuel.

Of course, that would be intelligent use of resources so wouldn't require a Government program and would be environmentally useful so wouldn't be to the advantage of the socialist big government environmental movement so don't expect any politicians to get behind the idea. Stupid is as stupid does and nothing is as stupid as& politicians selling votes.
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Patrick L. Booth is an aviator, retired FAA Controller, biker, lover of the Constitution, citizen activist and blogs in the Missouri Ozark Mountains. He writes for the Blue Eye View and other publications.

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