Frequently Asked Questions About Ethanol
Q. Is Alcohol Can Be A Gas! enabling people who wish to make white lightning and sell it illegally? Is it really legal to do this?
A. Yes it is legal to produce your own alcohol fuel. There is a simple permit procedure which is covered in the workshop. You need a permit (free) to make 5000 gallons per year in order to sell it to your neighbors. For a small fee, a permit can be obtained to make more than 5000 gallons per year. It is not legal to drink or sell the fuel you produce as a beverage without additional expensive permitting.
Q. How much does it cost to make my own alcohol.
A. Most people burn 1000 gallons per year to commute = $3000. You can make your own fuel for anywhere between 43 cents to a dollar fifty a gallon depending on your raw material costs. You also earn a $.61 per gallon tax credit from the IRS, which is paid to you in cash for using or selling your own ethanol.
Q. What does it cost to build the still and equipment?
A. The single largest expense is the tank, fire brick, tubing, etc. Only $1500 not counting the welding to build a still that can produce 100 gals. every three days if using corn, or 100 gallons a day if using sugar crops or waste products.
Q. What mileage can I expect on alcohol?
A. Depending on your conversion methods, you generally will lose 5-15% mpg to as much as 25% in very crude conversions. In studies done on converted diesel engines, it has been proven that you can actually get up to 22% better mileage on alcohol than on diesel (which gets better mileage than gasoline.)
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