Medill News Service
By Eric Kroh
Published: May 22, 2008
With gas prices pushing $4 per gallon, drivers are looking for any way they can to save money on fuel. For some, that includes brewing their own at home. Brad Miller is the "fuel man." He sells ethanol-producing stills on the Internet at thefuelman.com from his business in Ridgeville Corners, Ohio. Whenever gas prices soar, sales are brisk, he said.
"The number one motivation? Cost. They don't want to pay the high cost of gasoline," Miller said of his customers, who buy equipment from him to turn fruits and vegetables into fuel. "I get customers calling from all walks of life. Farmers, investors, ordinary people who live in suburbs, housewives from Detroit."
In addition to wanting to save money, those who make their own ethanol may do it because they want a fuel that is better for the environment, or to decrease dependence on foreign oil. Miller said he originally started making his own fuel because he was fed up with the American oil industry.
"Growing up on a farm, you always had to do things for yourself, you're always looking for a better way to do something," Miller said.
Small-scale ethanol production isn't for everyone. It requires enough space to store equipment and supplies, for one thing. It is also potentially dangerous, and improperly produced ethanol could harm a vehicle's engine.
"You have to make sure that the design you're buying or building has been well thought out and well planned, not just any Joe Blow design from the Internet," said Danielle Bellmer, associate professor in biosystems engineering at Oklahoma State University.
Making ethanol is essentially the same process as producing other alcohols such as whiskey. Ethanol can be burned on its own for fuel, or mixed with gasoline to run in flex-fuel engines, which can handle blends of up to 85 percent ethanol.
The process usually begins with any of a large number of crops that can be converted into ethanol, such as corn, wheat, yams, apples or potatoes. Sugar is extracted using enzymes, and then yeast is added, which converts the sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The alcohol is separated from the rest of the slurry, or distilled, and is then ready to use.
The amount of ethanol produced varies according to the base that is used. A bushel of corn yields about 2.5 gallons of ethanol, Miller said. The whole process takes three to four days, most of which is spent waiting for chemical reactions to happen, he said.
"If you have a large enough still, you can make your whole week's fuel usage in one day," Miller said.
Miller sells a range of stills on his Web site, from a one-and-a-half gallon model that sells for $779, to a $100,000 automated still that produces 300 gallons of ethanol per week. A two-car family could need about 30 gallons every week, Miller said.
Although the price of input crops can be high, the government offers financial incentives to those who make their own fuel, such as a 60 cents per gallon tax credit.
In addition, those who make their ethanol from corn can sell the byproduct, known as dried distillers grains. Farmers use the byproduct to feed livestock and fertilize their fields.
While home ethanol production may be financially attractive, it is also potentially dangerous, said Bellmer, of Oklahoma State University.
"There's always danger if there's heat, boiling, evaporation and condensation going on," Bellmer said.
During the distillation process, alcohol is turned into a pressurized vapor, which can explode. It is important for any ethanol producing system to have a pressure release valve and other appropriate safety features, Bellmer said.
Miller said his stills are built with safety in mind. "I can't speak for other companies, but the stills we manufacture are safer than a domestic water heater," he said.
Those who aspire to make their own fuel must apply for a free permit from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Federal regulations require producers to render any alcohol they produce unfit for human consumption. There are also local regulations that apply to homemade fuel producers that vary from place to place, Miller said.
The number of small-scale alternative-fuel producers registered with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has increased in recent years.
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