Actually, ethanol is the same type of alcohol as that found in alcoholic beverages. So can we just keep a jug of vodka in the car in case we run out of gas? Afraid not!

Widely used in Brazil and the United States (much more than in any other part of the world), ethanol in a blend of no more than 10% will work just fine in most cars. In some cities, a 10% blend is mandated. In Brazil, the mandatory blend is 25%.

What makes it so attractive is that it is renewable, unlike the petroleum we now depend upon. It can be produced from agricultural feedstocks such as sugar cane, potato, manioc, and corn. Because of the difficulties with obtaining enough of these feedstocks coupled with high costs of production, research has turned to alternative sources such as cellulose.

Cellulosic ethanol is made from cellusolic fibers, a component in plant cell walls. The discovery that these can be used to produce ethanol is turning around previous research and the hope is that by using wheat stalks instead of grain, and corn stalks instead of ears, for example, we can increase our production of ethanol substantially without putting food supplies in jeopardy.

Other sources for ethanol production are ethylene (acetylene), calcium carbide, coal, oil gas, among others. Plants in the United States, Europe, and South Africa produce two million tons of petroleum-derived ethanol annually.

How is it renewable?

It is renewable because it uses a source that is naturally replenished. That is, sunlight, the source for photosynthesis, accounts for the production of sugar cane or corn, or any other ethanol source. Agricultural products are considered renewable because they use photosynthesis to grow. Of course, certain minerals such as nitrogen and phosphorus must be returned to the land, so this must be accounted for in the cost of production. Some of the crops than can produce ethanol are as follow:

- Cotton
- Fruit
- Most grains
- Sugar Cane
- Sugar Beet
- Sorghum
- Switchgrass
- Potatoes
- Kenaf
- Hemp
- Barley
- Sweet Potatoes
- Cassava
- Corn
- Sunflower
- Straw
- Cellulose Waste

Ethanol is produced by the microbial fermentation of sugars followed by distillation, dehydration, and denaturing. Enzymes are sometimes used to convert starch into sugar before the fermentation process begins.

Conventional unleaded gasoline produces carbon dioxide and aldehydes in such quantities that urban, car-based cities like Los Angeles are unfit for some people to live in, especially those who suffer respiratory weaknesses or disabilities. Stanford University, in a study by its atmospheric scientists, discovered that if the shift were made to ethanol from unleaded gasoline, deaths would be reduced by 9% every year in Los Angeles. Unleaded gasoline increases ozone levels significantly resulting in a dramatic increase in photochemical smog and an increase in medical problems such as asthma, the bane of citizens of Los Angeles.

Because of all of these factors, if you're thinking of burning a fireplace, it would be wise for you and your family as well as the atmosphere where you live to explore biofuel fireplaces where you can fuel some of the heating of your house with fuel that will not add to the existing problems.