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The History of
Ethanol
Ethanol is not a new type of fuel developed only recently. In fact, it
has been used since the 1820’s. In 1826, Samuel Morey developed an
engine that ran on ethanol and turpentine. This is considered by many
to be the first real use of ethanol.
In the 1850’s, ethanol was a major lighting fuel. When the Civil War
struck the United States, a liquor tax was placed on ethanol to raise
money for the war. The price of ethanol got so high that it could no
longer compete with other fuels such as kerosene in lighting devices.
The production and consumption of ethanol dropped sharply because of
this tax. For years ethanol was seen as too expensive compared to other
fuels. That was until the tax was removed in 1906.
In 1908, Henry Ford
designed his new car, the Model T, to run on a mixture of gasoline and
alcohol. Henry Ford envisioned ethanol as the fuel of the future. His
vision was to “build a vehicle affordable to the working family and
powered by a fuel that would boost the rural farm economy.”
The prosperity of
ethanol fuel continued during World War I, when the demand reached 50-60
million gallons per year.
Ethanol production
took a big hit with the introduction of prohibition. Ethanol was banned
because it was considered liquor. The only way ethanol could be sold
was if it was mixed with petroleum. Gasoline then became the main fuel
of choice. When prohibition ended in 1933, the ethanol market rose
slightly.
After the high demand
for ethanol during World War II, it was no longer needed for war
materials, and thus there was a tremendous decrease in the usage of
ethanol fuel.
It wasn’t until the
1970’s that interest in ethanol was revived. Embargos by major oil
companies caused a gasoline shortage and almost overnight ethanol
started to be used again.
Since then, ethanol
fuel has steadily increased. The government encourages the use of
ethanol fuel by offering tax benefits to producers.
In 1988, ethanol
began to be added to gasoline for the purpose of reducing carbon
monoxide emissions.
Today, the
introduction of hybrid cars and other environment-friendly cars are
becoming more necessary for two reasons: One is the price of oil and
gasoline has reached all time highs, thus forcing consumers to think
twice about what type of car they buy. The second is the safety of the
environment. Ethanol fuel greatly decreases emissions, which helps
protect the environment.
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