Bioenergy: Ethanol and Methanol
Ethanol and methanol are alcohols and are highly flammable. They can be made from plant sugars or plant fibres. Alcohol is produced by feeding plant materials into large heated tanks called digesters. Inside the tanks, chemicals or yeasts are added to change the plant materials into alcohol. The alcohol is extracted, purified, and prepared for use as a fuel.
Nowadays both ethanol and methanol make excellent fuels for cars and trucks. In fact, ethanol is used in the engines of Formula 1 (F1) racing cars. Ethanol burns very cleanly, and delivers more power than gasoline. In fact many service stations now sell fuels that contain a blend of gasoline and an alcohol, usually ethanol.
But methanol and ethanol can be deadly poisons, especially in the amounts used to make transportation fuels. Methanol is especially toxic. Even small amounts breathed in as fumes or accidentally swallowed can cause blindness, severe liver damage, and death. This is a severe problem for that.
