This concludes the discussion/debate between ethanol proponent Marc Rauch and ethanol critic Michael Lynch. Part I was yesterday.

Lynch: Do ethanol blends burn cleanly?  At one point, you say “ethanol is clean” but then later you admit “ethanol is hardly dirty”, which is precisely my argument.  That it can be burned indoors is not evidence of its cleanliness, since kerosene lamps have long been used, and many people still have wood-fueled fireplaces.  The faults you take with my citations from the EPA website treats them as if they were the only research on the question, rather than the only articles I cited.  The EPA website has numerous links to studies showing that ethanol causes some types of emissions, such as formaldehyde, to increase, I did not choose to cite more than a couple. …

Editor Note: An interesting historical note is that ethanol as a motor fuel was victimized by Prohibition, a subject discussed back in 2016 by Marc Rauch. In this discussion/debate, ethanol-proponent Rauch and ethanol-critic Michael Lynch share their thoughts on the quality and competitiveness of ethanol as a viable alternative to petroleum-based transportation products. Part II tomorrow concludes this series.

Lynch Technically, a wide variety of engines and fuels can be used to power vehicles, from steam and electricity to hydrogen and even water. At present, although compressed natural gas and electric vehicles are in use, most road transport remains powered by gasoline or diesel.  For its part, gasoline must have a certain octane level or it burns imperfectly, creating engine knock.  A number of additives have been used historically to ensure the octane rating is high enough for best engine performance, including lead, MTBE, and ethanol. …