5.3 Ethanol
Ethene can be hydrated with steam in front of a catalyst to produced ethanol. The process is not needed to be known for the exam. The ethene would come from crude oil, which is a non-renewable resource and will one day run out.
However, ethanol can also be produced from renewable resources by fermenting sugar. The sugar is converted into ethanol using yeast. A by-product is carbon dioxide.
However, ethanol can also be produced from renewable resources by fermenting sugar. The sugar is converted into ethanol using yeast. A by-product is carbon dioxide.
Sugar is a major crop across the world, meaning that it can be easily grown, purchased and turned into ethanol. However, food is a scarce resource and the production of ethanol from sugar may push up food prices. Also, if some of the sugar harvest goes towards ethanol production rather than feeding the population, there would be less sugar to feed the world. Alternatively, land could be deforested to create fields that would grow sugar beet and deforestation will have negative effects on the environment.