Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ethanol

Flush in the face = Give up the bottle?

Busoni — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:12:01 -0800

A somewhat recent NY Times article explains the connection between ALDH2 deficiency and throat cancer. Request for perspective on level of risk and appropriate response in extended. The article explains that people who become flush in the face after drinking are likely to be ALDH2-deficient, and are thus at higher risk for throat cancer.

But it is also possible for an ALDH2-deficient person to develop tolerance to the flushing effect, such that no flushing appears.

Questions:

1. If a person suspects that he or she belongs to the population just described (ALDH2-deficient with no signs of flushing), will the patch test (applying an ethanol-soaked patch to the skin for 15 minutes) described in the article be of any use? Could such a test be performed and interpreted by a non-professional at home, and if so, how?

2. Even if the risk of throat cancer is increased through drinking, is that enough cause to seriously curtail one's drinking, or even abstain altogether? What is the prevalence of throat cancer in the general population?

3. Is the risk increased significantly if the person is a former smoker (i.e. having quit)?

4. Are there any measures one might take to lower his risk, besides limiting his or her drinking?

What's Involved In an Ethanol Conversion?

IronLizard — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:13:11 -0800

What are the differences between vehicles that are ethanol (e85+) compatible and those that are not? I'm looking for specific materials and design differences in the various fuel system parts. Fuel pump, injector(s), fuel lines, tanks, PCM curves, ect. This is with an eye toward conversions of older fuel injected vehicles.

Chemistry Peeps: Help my distillation please.

snsranch — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:52:13 -0800

I'm doing research in prep for some small batch distillation of corn liquor/moonshine. (For educational purposes only.) Very specific question inside. From what I've been reading, my mash will produce some methanol before prior to producing the consumable ethanol. I understand the methanol arrives first with the lower distillation temp.

How do I determine which is which? Do they burn with different colors, for example? Any advice or ideas are greatly appreciated.

This is just for fun, but I don't want to hurt anyone (myself) in the process.

Best Answer gets a quart jar!

Ripped off at the E85 pump

bradn — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:02:19 -0800

"My first experience purchasing an alternative fuel (E85)", or "How can I get my $20ish back?" or, "why is this such a pain in the ass?" Brace yourself:

So Saturday I bought a flex fuel vehicle, a 07 Impala. I feel good about running E85, it's cheaper than gas right now, and there are a few stations in the area, it seems like a good idea that i can feel good about.

Today I go to one of the few E85-carrying stations in Milwaukee, near my job, at 425 E Capitol. They have 2 E85 pumps, one is out of order. I quickly find that the credit card reader on the "good" pump is also out of order. No problem, I'll pay inside. I begin pumping. When the gallons meter hits 25, I say to myself, "there's no way this tank is that big". So I stop the pump, and take the nozzle out, at which point the overflowing e85 spills down the side of my car into a puddle on the ground which appeared to be water. Apparently the auto stop on the pump is not working. I go inside to get a towel (because this is the kind of station that never refills towels or window washer), and the clerk asks for me to pay, at which point I do, like a complete moron with my mind more concerned with what the ethanol is doing to my new car's paint. I walk out with the towels and wipe off the car, then look at the owner's manual to see that the tank has a capacity of 17 gallons. I never saw fuel spilling out, but it had to go somewhere. I just paid $56.35 for 25.626 gallons. After arguing with the clerk, who i could barely understand and could barely understand me, showing him the capacity in my owner's manual, calling the citgo distributor as he told me to (who said to call the station owner), I gave up. Back at work I tried Citgo's website (all stations independantly owned and operated) and called the station again, got the name of the owner (Multani Petroleum), called them only to hear that they no longer own that station. I once again gave up.

As I was leaving the station, the clerk put an "out of order" plastic bag over the nozzle, and I assume it will sit there for weeks if not months. The small E85 sign in front sits behind a snow bank, and has no price numbers on it.

It's difficult enough to get regular unleaded in a city full of gas stations that are improperly maintained, dirty, overpriced, and not customer friendly, how is one supposed to take advantage of this new fuel, and aid in helping set up an infrastucture that could help us consume less oil?

Also, any ideas how I can get my money back?

Sea to shining sea?

Freedomboy — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 10:48:04 -0800

Agronomy / save the planet question: Since vast stretches of land are owned by the government running right beside the interstate highways what plant groups could be used there to provide ongoing good bio mass to harvest using those wonderful paved lanes right next to the ..er..side of the road?

What are the major problems with butanol?

scottreynen — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 19:41:17 -0800

Butanol [1,2] sounds too good to be true. Is it? I was just today made aware of butanol. From what I've read in a few Google searches, it sounds like a much better energy source than ethanol. But ethanol is being heavily promoted as an anternative to gasoline while butanol doesn't appear to be generating much discussion at all. Why is this? Is there some major problem with butanol that I haven't found yet?

How do I mix a drink that tastes like Coke?

moss — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 02:34:51 -0800

BoozeFilter: The flavor of cola drinks, like Coke, is "a mixture, or fantasia, of vanilla, cinnamon, and citrus flavorings". Knowing this, what three kinds of alcohol would you combine if you wanted to make a mixed drink that tasted as much like cola as possible? I could obviously just grab whatever citrus, cinnamon, and vanilla flavored liquor I can find, but I can see a few different pitfalls to avoid: one flavor being too strong or too weak; the ingredients not combining well; some unexpected other flavor appearing too strongly; or (possibly unavoidable) the whole thing combining into one Giant Unstoppable Ball Of Pure Hangover. So, I throw myself on the mercy of the combined alcoholic knowledge of all MetaFilter: what could I use that would have a reasonably high alcohol content, would have relatively similar intensities of flavor, wouldn't clash with each other terribly, and wouldn't make me too sick?

Ethanol's pros and cons

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 11:57:52 -0800

How much does an x% ethanol gasoline blend product reduce mileage? Does the environmental benefit from ethanol blends outweigh the increased consumption of gasoline products? Or is the benefit negligible for the consumer? Though ethanol burns cleaner, it apparently holds less chemical energy for the same volume. After noticing local gas stations selling (only) 10% ethanol blends at higher prices, I'm curious about how much of an effect this has on mileage. Most of the information I've found (from corn growers) is handwaving, inconclusive or apologetic.

After all, if the fuel burns faster and costs more, and the ethanol supply is subsidized, that means more frequent and profitable repeat business for energy suppliers and corn growing-conglomerates like ADM.

Further, more frequent trips to the gas station mean increased emissions for the same energy dollars spent in the country.

Also, I imagine that ethanol corrosion also means more dollars spent on parts replacement and labor in the automobile maintenance industries, which also has a waste impact on the environment (more stuff put into landfills at a faster rate).

Do the ethanol products have a genuine and pronounced net benefit to the environment or is this about profit for energy, agribusiness and automobile corporations?

No ethanol in our gas

ackptui — Sat, 13 May 2006 18:29:34 -0800

Is regular unleaded gasoline made with only petroleum-derived compounds better than gasoline containing ethanol? Two of the three filling stations in my neighborhood have signs up that say "No ethanol in our gasoline." The third has signs up that their gas may contain up to 10% ethanol. Is gasoline using MBTE as its oxygenate better or more efficient than gas containing ethanol? My understanding was that within a region, all gas is formulated to some standard, regardless of which specific compound is used as oxygenate. I know that fuel with a higher level of ethanol will be less efficient per volume, and that ethanol can harm plastic fuel-line components in engines not designed for it. Do the stations that advertise "no ethanol" have a point, or are they just blowing smoke?

Evilhol?

parallax7d — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 08:11:52 -0800

Ethanol Evil? I've heard having energy and food competing for land will be bad for the environment. I've heard ethanol burns cleaner and will create less CO2 which is good for the environment. Also a side question, how much ethanol is currently in gasoline, and is that a good or bad thing?

How to prevent a refinery from opening up in the middle of town

idiotfactory — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 23:45:48 -0800

So I found out They are wanting to build an Ethanol refinery 3 blocks from my mother's home.... This neighborhood is primarily cookie-cutter homes built after WWII and there are a lot of old folks and newlywed couples living there. Four blocks from this refinery site is one of the biggest elementary schools in the city (~50K residents total). Obviously, this seems like a Very Bad Idea™. The argument is that there used to be a small oil refinery there 60 years ago and no one complained about the smell. They also wanted to build it near the grain silos and railroad tracks. Also note that this state has a ton of empty land, so space is not the issue. The city is also excited about this because it will bring jobs to the town. However, those jobs are for chemists, botanists, and the like. There really aren't any universities that focus in that here in the state, and most students are desperate to leave anyway.

I've been reading a bit about alternative fuels, and I've seen that Ethanol takes as much (if not more) energy to refine than it actually provides. What kind of hard evidence can I find against Ethanol refineries and present it to the city? What can an average citizen do to try and prevent this massive polluter to enter city limits? Has anyone succeeded against the Corn Lobbyists? Am I too late?

Or should I just pack my mom up and move her to an apartment in a neighboring town?

Cost of Ethanol Production

Raybun — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 18:01:48 -0800

How much energy from oil goes into the production of 1 gallon of ethanol? References would be appreciated.