Ethanol is not a clean fuel

So you think switching to ethanol fuel will solve our air polutions problems? Think again.

Mark Z. Jacobson of Stanford University has written a paper that exposes the myth of ethanol as a clean fuel. His paper examines the results of switching to ethanol based fuels like E85. According to his research, burning E85 in large metropolitan areas like Los Angeles will increase ground level ozone pollution. Ground level ozone is a major component of urban smog and causes numerous health problems, especially in people with existing respiratory conditions. In his paper Mr. Jacobson argues that using E85 will increase mortality rates in LA by 9% and in the US generally by 4%. It appears that the overall health issues related to burning ethanol will be worse than burning gasoline. He also stated that unburned emissions of ethanol will result in a global scale increase in acetaldehyde. Burning ethanol also seems to increase emissions of carbon monoxide, a dangerous pollutant. According to this research hospitalization rates and asthma related emergency room visits would also increase. Perhaps ethanol isn't such a good idea.