A new study by the National Academy of Sciences could prove fatal for E85 ethanol fuels.
General Motors, Ford, and many farm states and agricultural lobbyists all have long supported ethanol as an environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline.
The new study, however, suggests that the opposite is true. It estimates that corn-based ethanol is at least 24% less carbon-intensive than gasoline. The Biden administration is currently reviewing the report to determine how it will impact future biofuels.
Tyler Lark, Ph.D. is the lead author of the study and assistant scientist at the University of Wisconsin Madison Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment. Corn ethanol is not a climate friendly fuel.
Feds mandate biofuels
Automakers began to use ethanol heavily by the new millennium. The Renewable Fuel Standard, which was enacted in 2005, required that U.S. refiners mix 15 billion gallons corn-based ethanol into gasoline every year.
Refiners were under pressure to increase distribution of E85, which is a mixture of 85% ethanol with 15% gasoline.
This meant that vehicle modifications such as the use stainless steel fuel lines were necessary to protect against corrosive alcohol. Detroit automakers were supportive of bi-fuel vehicles, despite the extra cost. This was due at least in part to the fuel economy credits they received.
Missing the mark
They also invested money in alternative sources like cellulosic, which was designed to produce ethanol using waste products that range from agricultural scraps to paper.
Fritz Henderson, then-GM President in 2008, stated that this is crucial for our future. He spoke out after automakers invested in Coskata (an Illinois cellulosic alcohol start-up). These companies’ success is in our economic self interest.
But this technology didn’t live up to its potential and our dependence on corn-based alcohol grew rapidly. According to the new study, the U.S. farmland dedicated to producing corn for alcohol increased by 6.9 million acres between 2008-2016.
According to research supported in part by the National Wildlife Federation, and the U.S. Department of Energy, this has had the opposite effect of ethanol backers claimed. The use of fertilizers increased while carbon stored in soil was released. Modern fertilizers cause numerous environmental problems, beginning with the emissions that are released during their production.
Study generates controversy
The National Academy of Sciences released a new study that immediately caused controversy. For one, It contradicts previous studies, including research done by the Department of Agriculture to declare ethanol an environmental bonus.
The NAS research is “completely fictional and erroneous,” Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, told Reuters. It relied on “worst-case assumptions [and]He claimed that cherry-picked data was used.
There has already been a sharp decline of public acceptance of E85. This is due to declining demand over the past decade, and fewer service stations offering it. Automakers have actively tried to reduce mandates.
White House ready to reduce biofuel mandates
The study could have a significant impact on the White House’s review of biofuels. The original mandates were extended through 2022. The EPA is expected announce future targets by May.
According to Reuters, the administration will reduce levels of biofuels as it shifts its focus to electrified vehicles.
The news service reported that Ethanol would be the worst affected. According to internal documents from the EPA that Reuters reviewed, levels for conventional renewable fuels, including ethanol, would fall to approximately 12.5 billion gallons by 2020, 13.5 miliarde gallons by 2021, and 14.1 billion gallons by 2022.
Experts suggest that any reduction in spending could cause a lot of controversy and be a topic during the mid-term elections.