How does the energy density of ethanol compare to that of gasoline?

Ethanol contains less energy per gallon than gasoline, to varying degrees, depending on the volume percentage of ethanol in the blend. Denatured ethanol (98% ethanol) contains about 30% less energy than gasoline per gallon.

What is the energy density of ethanol?

27 MJ/kg
Table 1: The energy density(MJ/kg) of a variety of different fuels….Fuel energy density.

Fuel Energy density
Ethanol 27 MJ/kg
Biodiesel 38 MJ/kg
Crude oil 44 MJ/kg
Diesel 45 MJ/kg

Which fuel has the highest energy density?

hydrogen
The highest energy density fuel is hydrogen, which is also the simplest chemical component in existence. Gasoline, which is derived from refining crude oil, contains much more energy than coal (twice the lower grade bituminous) or wood (three times).

Is ethanol more powerful than gasoline?

The Differences Between Ethanol and Gasoline Blending ethanol and gasoline at a ratio of 85 percent to 15 percent (E85), the blended fuel is nearly thirty percent less powerful than pure gasoline. Ethanol is similar in acceleration, power, and cruising ability, but ethanol miles per gallon are less than pure gasoline.

How much energy is in a gallon of ethanol?

One gallon of ethanol has an energy value of only 77,000 BTU. “Put another way,” Pimentel says, “about 70 percent more energy is required to produce ethanol than the energy that actually is in ethanol. Every time you make 1 gallon of ethanol, there is a net energy loss of 54,000 BTU.”

What is the density of gasoline?

Fuel Density@15°C – ρ – Specific Volume – v –
(kg/m3) (m3/1000 kg)
Gasoline 715-780 1.3-1.4
Fuel Oil No.13) 750-850 1.2-1.3
Fuel Oil No.23) 810-940 1.1-1.2

What is the energy content of gasoline?

116,090 Btus per gallon
For example, conventional gasoline has an energy content of 116,090 Btus per gallon, while propane has an energy content of 84,250 Btus per gallon. As such, 1.38 gallons of propane has the same amount of energy as one gallon of conventional gasoline.

What is energy density of a fuel?

In energy storage and fuels In energy storage applications the energy density relates the energy in an energy store to the volume of the storage facility, e.g. the fuel tank. The higher the energy density of the fuel, the more energy may be stored or transported for the same amount of volume.

Why does ethanol have less energy than gasoline?

Ethanol molecules include oxygen atoms, whereas gasoline molecules don’t. That’s part of the reason why ethanol has less energy than gasoline. Another effect of the oxygen from ethanol is that ethanol blends tend to run “leaner” than pure gasoline because there is more oxygen available in the fuel-air mixture.

Is ethanol heavier than gasoline?

Since ethanol and water are heavier than gasoline, the mixture drops to the bottom of the storage container.

How much energy is in a gallon of gasoline?

When testing electric vehicles for fuel economy, the United States EPA uses a standard of 115,000 BTU of energy per gallon (US) of gasoline, which converts to 33.7 kWh.