The CEO of your company has called his Environmental Department into his office.
ID: 300066 • Letter: T
Question
The CEO of your company has called his Environmental Department into his office. He is considering expanding the current business line by purchasing a com-based ethanol production facility. The CEO sees biofuels as a potential revenue source, as efforts to control global warming and climate change will lead to an increase in ethanol use as a replacement for gasoline in motor vehicles. The CEO has asked you to prepare an 8-10 page report, making a case either for or against the use of corn-based ethanol. The report regarding corn-based ethanol should be based on a three-step life cycle analysis (LCA), including: Data analysis - The actual efficiency must be analyzed - no matter how politically attractive or favorable by a society, corn-based ethanol must conform to the physical laws of conservation of mass and energy. Each step in the life cycle (e.g., extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, use, and disposal) must be considered - the "greenness" as a measure of sustainability and effectiveness must be characterized. The societal benefits and risks must be viable for corn-based ethanol to be accepted - the policy and geopolitical options and outcomes must be evaluated. The CEO expects you to review available literature and environmental/economic analyses, any applicable regulators mandates, and come to a conclusion: Based on all your analysis and everything available and the results of your LCA, does corn-based ethanol truly represent a viable alternative fuel?Explanation / Answer
study of Introduction:
what is Corn ethanol: corn is used as a biomass from which ethanol is produced, which is produced by means of ethanol fermentation and distillation. It is mainly used as an oxygenate in gasoline to produce a low-level blend. To a lesser extent, it is used as fuel for vehicles.Corn is the main feedstock used for producing ethanol fuel in many developed countries.
The report in support of the use of the corn based Ethanol based on 3 step life cycle analysis (LCA):
1. Data analysis:
Efficiency which is stated quantitavely as =(Ein-Eout/ Ein ) x 100
Ein - Energy entering a control volume; Eout - Energy exiting a control volume
Numerator includes all energy losses. To analyse energy losses, control volume of each step pf the life cycle must be quantified.This step is based on the first two laws of thermodynamics.
first law or Law of Conservation of Energy: states that energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system.
The second law of thermodynamics: states that the entropy of any isolated system always increases.
2. Steps involoved in production of corn based Ethanol:
Life cycle assessment framework consists of:
1. Goal and scope definition: specifically states the purpose of boundaries of the study
2. Inventory analysis of the fuel
3. Impact assessment of the fuel
4. Interpretation of the data
Main Steps involved: Harvesting from its habitat...Culture maintanence or storage----growth ----harvesting.........seperation of cell components-------Conversion to biodisel
The greeness as a measure of sustainability and effective ness are measured.
3. Social benefits and risks:
Cost-Benfit Ratio CBR is important in economy wise. This projext has value based on its utility. . It is a source of potential revenue. And this is good in contollinh global warmins and climate change. And this can be used as a replacement for gasoline in vehicles.
The ethanol which is produced from corn results in 20 % reduction in GHG emissions when compared to gasoline. and by improving the efficiency and use of renewable energy, this reduction could be reduced further to 52 %. Studies showed that the corn ethanol directly emits 51% less greenhouse gases than gasoline.
Ethanol is readily biodegradable without any harm to the environment, and it is a safe, high-performance replacement for fuel additives such as Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)
The Case is in support of the use of Corn based Ethanol based on all the analysis.
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