Thread: Need some e85 knowledge

Im typing a 5 page paper on ethanol fuels as a alternative fuel. Just wondering if anyone has a lot of knowledge on the topic. My instructor said we need 7 sources and they can be interviews and I can use someone off here or a couple people as a source. Thanks.

e-mail someone with verasun energy. i'm pretty sure they are one of the nation's largest ethanol producers.

I wouldn’t consider myself a subject matter expert but I have some information and opinions I want to share with you. I know more than a couple ppl here have converted their cars to E85. The main reason being E85 is similar to high octane race gas at like 1/3 the price. However, for us normal drivers E85 is kind of a joke. Sure it is decent fuel, and it definitely keeps your fuel system clean. However it contains significantly less energy per gallon than regular unleaded. This would be fine except the price at the pump doesn’t bridge this gap. IIRC E85 has like 30% less energy, and is usually about 15% cheaper. Uhmmm, ya, I think I’ll go fill up now! Hence the reason the area I live in only has like 2-3 pumps (and I mean individual pumps, not stations) that have E85 and close to 70k ppl live in the area. The only ppl who have made E85 cost effective is Brazil, and that is because they use sugar cane, not corn to make it.

Anyway, I have a possible information source for you. I know for a fact, a co-worker used to work for them, that the company “Industrial Equipment and Parts” supplies/services several ethanol plants. If they are willing to talk to you, they might have an interesting perspective on the industry.

Industrial Equipment and Parts
763-249-1899
www.processpump.com

Thank you guys.