Energy Matters Forums

[clean vw]

well here I have a 1984 vw truck that it runs on e85 (ethanol) and is eficient and clean, and as a side efect the motor is strong ... very strong, the comprecion ratio is 13.5:1, trottle bodyes and stand alone on a wideband sensor, it runs like a dream and the fuel is cheaper than regular gasoline, is a litle drawback, it uses 20 % more ethanol than if it run on regular gas.
In Los Angeles we have only one gas station that it have e85 for sale but it worth it...

[Gordon-Loomberah]

Yes, using some right now, Coopers Sparkling Ale is a 5.8% blend

For cars we generally only have E10 available at fuel stations in Australia.

I'm not entirely convinced that ethanol is much better for the environment when you take into account the amount of energy used in its production and transportation around the country- mostly diesel for tractors and trucks, plus the energy consumed in its manufacture- fermentation in electrically heated vats, then distillation, once again powered by electricity, which in Australia is mostly produced in coal fired power stations.

[Tracker]

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It's only viable, if you are drinking it

Good fun to make yourself ! But don't get hooked on the ready supply of 95% Ethanol.

I was thinking of building a room heater based on Town-Gas, with a built-In still,
that way you get FREE distillation, whilst heating the lounge-room.
What a talking point - Drink whilst you get warm !
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[clean vw]

I was thinking on produce the ethanol on solar power, fist warm a water haeter with the sun rays and the remaining need energy solar electric, well if you think about it is clean and almost no emitions, am I rigth?
Here the people is all exited with the "tesla" car and some other electric cars... but they plug it to the electric grid!!! how good is that if we produce electricity by coal... the Ideal is to produce your own solar or wind electricity and then charge your veicle... well this is my dreams...

[clean vw]

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It's only viable, if you are drinking it

Good fun to make yourself ! But don't get hooked on the ready supply of 95% Ethanol.

I was thinking of building a room heater based on Town-Gas, with a built-In still,
that way you get FREE distillation, whilst heating the lounge-room.
What a talking point - Drink whilst you get warm !
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here you can get the ethanol at 85% there you can get 95%?
well if you can meke it is fun, as long you dont drink it , but is not that easy like using biodiesel, here I have some costumers that use that on their VW TDI

[Tracker]

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Making Ethanol is really pretty easy.
If my memory is correct you can make about 1ltr per Kg of sugar.
Fractional distillation to get 95% is a little more difficult and needs a pretty well made "Device".
The High-potency yeast needed to survive the high alcohol concentration in the mash does add some more bucks.. So it is a bit of a pain... .. .. The only benefit is that you can do it without having to scavenge old cooking oils etc. needed to make bio-diesel.

I was wondering how ethanol would go in home heating..
I see these new heaters that have these dazzling-dancing flames.
They say that they use ETHANOL, but you cant really buy anything other than DeNatured-Ethanol, and I wonder if the DeNaturing solvent would create an unpleasant smell -- I think back to the FONDUE days and the smell that tainted the room from burning metho.
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