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A solution of 70% ethanol is more effective than pure ethanol because ethanol relies on water molecules for optimal antimicrobial activity. Absolute ethanol may inactivate microbes without destroying them because the alcohol is unable to fully permeate the microbe's membrane.
Methanol and ethanol can both be derived from fossil fuels, biomass, or from carbon dioxide and water. Ethanol has most commonly been produced through fermentation of sugars, and methanol has most commonly been produced from synthesis gas, but there are more modern ways to obtain these fuels. Enzymes can be used instead of fermentation.
World ethanol production for transport fuel tripled between 2000 and 2007 from 17 × 10 9 liters (4.5 × 10 ^ 9 U.S. gal; 3.7 × 10 ^ 9 imp gal) to more than 52 × 10 9 liters (14 × 10 ^ 9 U.S. gal; 11 × 10 ^ 9 imp gal). From 2007 to 2008, the share of ethanol in global gasoline type fuel use increased from 3.7% to 5.4%. [1]
Low-ethanol blends are typically from E5 to E25, although internationally the most common use of the term refers to the E10 blend. Blends of E10 or less are used in more than 20 countries around the world, led by the United States, where ethanol represented 10% of the U.S. gasoline fuel supply in 2011. [1]
Alcohols are most effective when combined with distilled water to facilitate diffusion through the cell membrane; 100% alcohol typically denatures only external membrane proteins. [25] A mixture of 70% ethanol or isopropanol diluted in water is effective against a wide spectrum of bacteria, though higher concentrations are often needed to ...
One rationale for ethanol production in the U.S. is increased energy security, from shifting supply from oil imports to domestic sources. [30] [76] Ethanol production requires significant energy, and current U.S. production derives most of that energy from domestic coal, natural gas and other non-oil sources. [77]
E85 is increasingly common in the United States, mainly in the Midwest where corn is a major crop and is the primary source material for ethanol-fuel production. As of July 1, 2014, there were more than 3,300 fuel stations that offered E85 fuel. [12] E85 as a fuel is widely used in Sweden; however, most of it is imported from Italy and Brazil.
The production of fuel ethanol from corn in the United States is controversial for a few reasons. Production of ethanol from corn is 5 to 6 times less efficient than producing it from sugarcane. The reason that corn has been notoriously used for ethanol production is because farmers are either paid to destroy crops or to not grow corn crops.