Circa 2015 marked the first time when the marine transportation industry woke up to a rude shock, and sudden realizations, pertaining to its operability and its duty towards the aquatic eco-system of planet Earth. Not only did it face immense pressure to reduce toxic emissions in compliance with new regulations, but was also forced to address the possibility of fuel shortage in the years to come. The need of the hour was to come up with a viable solution that adequately handled both concerns without having a major impact on operability. After relentless searching and the urgency imposed by the Paris Accord on climate change, soon the answer presented itself in form of ethanol.
For the unversed, ethanol is one of the prominent members of the alcohol family, and is a close cousin of methanol, which is just as well-known. On a commercial scale, it is obtained by milling corn, cooking the outcome to segregate the individual sugar components from the starch, and extracting the gas as it exudes from the mix. Ethanol burns with a distinct blue flame that is marked with yellow highlights, and emanates a typical odor. Although almost invisible, in its gaseous form, it is highly volatile and flammable, and when condensed into a liquid, it becomes colorless. Owing to being obtained from plants, it is regarded as being renewable, which explains its categorization under bio-fuels.
Despite being around for a long time, ethanol’s evolution into an energy source to power transportation is relatively recent. As far back as anyone can remember, transportation sector – marine and others – have unwaveringly relied on petroleum products. While this dependence appeared justified in terms of delivering a power-packed performance, it led to a multitude of long-term issues, particularly those that had an adverse bearing on climate, habitat and the overall quality of life. While emission of toxic gases deteriorated the environment and destroyed fragile eco-systems, over-dependence implied a greater demand, which put the economy at risk. Going a step further, continuous usage also caused the crude-oil reserves to deplete, thus putting future plans at risk and ushering in a cloud of uncertainty, which is not likely to blow away any time soon. The situation pushed the world to look for an alternative, and the spotlight eventually turned towards the world of bio-fuels.
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