Just what the heck is Ethanol ?

I don't know about others, but I sure did ask myself about what Ethanol is and how is it an alternative fuel ?

I am not exactly picky to find the chemical composition or the actual chem formula for Ethanol, coz, even if I knew or found out, I am more interested to find its applications, rather than the do-er as such.

Here is what I found out there on it to begin with:

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Ethanol, as in beer and wine, is an alcohol modified to utilize it as a fuel and making it undrinkable. Ethanol is produced by fermentation through a method similar to beer brewing of any biomass containing carbohydrates. At the present time, ethanol is derived from starches and sugars however there have been constant research to allow it to be produced from fibrous substance which consists the bulk of most plant matter - the cellulose and hemicellulose. Ethanol is widely used as a blending agent with gasoline to boost octane and at the same time reducing carbon monoxide and other toxic smog-causing emissions.

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More Reading @ http://www.prurgent.com/2009-03-29/pressrelease34337.htm