The Dangers In Ethanol Transport

Ethanol production has been increasing rapidly over the decade. In two thousand, there are two billion gallons distributed and in less than a decade, it reached to nine billion gallons. In the next decade, it is expected to rise in triple.

The production of gases and fuels can be risky to the health and the environment if not processed meticulously. Ethanol transport may also prove to be risky if there are accidental leaks, explosions, spills, and fires during the process. These are transported through tanker trucks, barges, and rail tanks. Other kinds of fuel like petroleum already have pipelines through which they are transported from one place to another. Pipelines still cannot support the level of chemical contents of bioethanol.

Depending on the cycles of the supply chain, the biofuel can be produced as one hundred percent ethanol or combined with certain amounts of gasoline. When transported, these are denatured. Little do communities like Denmark, TN know about the health and environmental risks of the transport process.

No matter how sealed a container or trailer is that contains the biofluel, the seal can still be degraded because of the tendency of the mixed compounds to attract water from the atmosphere. The combined gases can burn the skin and the victim may not be warned of its presence because it can hardly be seen by the naked eye. The two different fuels have a lot of differences in their characteristics concerning conductivity, density, boiling point, and solubility.

The raw product used in this production is corn. It has to be grown properly so that the resulting product will also have good properties fit for fueling vehicles. Transporting the corn to the production centers must be done carefully. The end product must be contained in trailers and properly sealed containers or else, there will be high risks of contamination and leakage.

Pollution is an apparent environmental risk. It can add to the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Hence, storage, dispensing, and mixing of the compounds must be done very carefully. An unlikely explosion may occur and there had been recorded incidents regarding this.

Transport through train and barge are the most recommended means to get these across the end users and consumers. However, there is still a threat to the safety of a densely populated area to these transport methods. The possible leaks and spills may go directly into the water or in the air. They can release carcinogenic fumes that can cause illnesses. This can slowly kill people.

There are government agencies that issue protection protocols to storage tanks. They use a detection technology to monitor the leaks and contamination in the storage material. However, this does not fully support biofuels. Hence, there is little known technology to lessen the negative environmental and health effects of ethanol.

Comparably, the damage of this kind of fuel, especially when blended with gasoline, is even more dangerous than that of petroleum. This is because it can reach a relatively higher toxicity since the chemical components are mixed with that of gasoline. Thus, it can cause more pollution. In addition, the chemicals are carcinogenic and can linger for a long time in water and air.