A study released by Stanford University indicates that ethanol, the cellulose-based fuel that is arguably the most widely implemented alternative energy source for powering motor vehicles, might not be so beneficial for the planet after all.

When the fuel is burned it produces an increased number of aldehydes, which are the precursors to Ozone, and the effects of this would be felt most during winter months. This is due to the fact that catalytic converters need to warm up before they reach their full filtration potential, a process which takes longer from a colder starting temperature. As ozone has been known to be detrimental to the health of human beings, and is a frequent cause of health warnings during the summer months in many urban areas, these findings could be of potential concern to environmentalists due to the recent influx of flex fuel vehicles into the market place.

The conclusion was reached using a complicated method of analysis, which involved modeling some 13,000 different chemical reactions at a variety of different ambient temperatures. The study performed this process for two scenarios, one where all of the projected flex fuel vehicles present on the roads by 2020 ran on gasoline and one where all of those vehicles ran on ethanol over a 48 hour period. For temperatures ranging from 32 degrees fahrenheit up to 106 or so degrees, Ozone was increased by up to 7 parts per billion more by E85 ethanol than by gasoline, and by 39 parts per billion more from temperatures extending down from 32 degrees fahrenheit. The chief scientist who participated in the study, Dr. Diana Ginnebaugh, admitted that although the increase is substantial, there are numerous mitigating factors including natural air filtration from vegetation and population density that can’t be accurately mapped in a general analytical survey of data.

[Source: Science Daily]