Ecalene™ is Not Ethanol
Ecalene™ It is a mixed-alcohol fuel manufactured from an artificially produced syntheses gas. Utilizing syngas produced by gasification enables Ecalene™ to be given properties that could not normally be found in nature. These properties enable Ecalene™ outperform ethanol as a fuel in every meaningful performance measure including energy content, octane rating and range of operating temperatures over which the product remains stable. Ecalene™'s ability not to freeze at low temperatures, make it a superior candidate for jet aircraft fuel for example.
Energy Balance and Global Warming
The production of ethanol is a fermentation process similar to that used in the manufacture of "moonshine." It requires a great deal of energy (generally provided by the local gas utility) to break down the starch in the corn to extract the necessary sugars. The process also requires some time. The process requires so much energy, the overall benefit of ethanol in reducing green house gassing is deemed marginal. The net energy (ethanol energy out minus gas energy in) involved in this process is also deemed marginal. In contrast, the energy required for the Ecalene™ process comes from the energy content of the feedstock. Ecalene™ plants can run 100% of their operations with no gas utilities enabling the plant to locate remotely.
Water
Ethanol requires a great deal of water. Some operations use as much as four gallons of water for each gallon of ethanol produced. The Ecalene™ manufacturing process actually creates water the can be used locally. This feature allows Ecalene™ plants to be operated in places that are both remote and dry.
Impact on Food
Ethanol is generally manufactured from a small array of feedstock, primarily corn in the US. It can also be made from other grain crops and sugar cane. The use of any of these products for fuel creates a shortage of arable land to produce food crops--ultimately increasing the price of food. Even when non-food "energy" crops are grown (like switch grass) on soil generally devoted to farming, the effect on food prices is the same. The water and soil devoted to raise these crops come at the expense of food. Ecalene™ technology is superior at utilizing the energy content in cellulosic biomass. Accordingly, it can utilize as feedstock the waste parts of plants discarded in the ethanol manufacturing process. It can also use other waste product generated by ethanol manufacturers as fuel. More importantly, Ecalene™ can be manufactured from very abundant wood waste and other waste materials (including MSW) that have no impact on food prices.
