Assess the potential of ethanol as an alternative fuel and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of its use

Using ethanol as an alternate fuel, or fuel extender includes a heterogenous agglomeration of advantages and disadvantages. On cars: ethanol is preferable to lead as an octane booster. A 10% addition of ethanol to petrol is more effective than lead at boosting octane rating (+2.5) and making car run smoother. It's cheaper than lead, and ethanol-blended fuels leave no gummy deposits, thus keeps engine clean. Although a minimal 10% ethanol blend should be compatible with internal combustion engines, …

…of fossil fuel, ethanol can increase Australia's long-term security of fuel supply. However, ethanol now only comprises 0.33% of Australia's petrol use. Oil resources seem adequate as a source of petroleum products for many years to come and security against supply disruptions is provided by a diversity of crude oil and product supply sources. But in the future, with fossil fuels doomed to disappear and energy demands on the rise, ethanol is perhaps our only hope.