Yes and No.
Combustion of hydrocarbons, which both "petrol" and "ethanol" are, yield carbon dioxide (and carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde) and water. Carbon monoxide and formaldehyde will both kill you, but you can add carbon dioxide to your water for some fizzle. But carbon dioxide is also a green house gas that traps heat in our atmosphere and is believed to be the cause of more violet weather trends... though it is debated.
Standard petrol is a variety of hydrocarbons, and often contains poisonous Nitrogen and Sulfer compounds (ask your O2 sensor!), the objective of the catalytic converter is to use nickel, platinum, and rhodium group metals to change the compound to something less harmful. The valence electrons in the metals orbital allow the CO to temporarily bind, 'releasing' a sigma bond from the triple bonded CO, allowing it to form a second pi bond with an incoming oxygen, converting what would be deadly into something we require in our Cola. However, the S and N (petrol impurities) are converted from something deadly to something less deadly.
Since ethanol is a particular hydrocarbon, we still get and end reaction of CO2, H20 and heat. However, we don't have to drill into the ground to get it... in fact, the moment we realized if we drink ethanol it makes us act retarded, we mastered the industrial production of it. In this sense it is 'cleaner'.
However,100% ethanol is not fuel efficient (it doesnt vaporize/combust as well due to intermolecular hydrogen bonding that keeps it liquid under pressure, (not GAS), you will burn much more per energy unit compared to petrol, in this sense it is not 'cleaner'.
There is a ratio that will help raise your octane level, increasing engine performance and thus fuel economy, which does translate to "cleaner"
But since the world is run by money and not morals, the natural gas industry may be looking to stretch their scarce non-renewable product with a quasi-renewable and still tricking you into paying that carbon tax to save the Earth. 'Cause don't we have battery operated cars now and solar panels, windmills, and nuclear plants to charge them?
But if you like torque, stick with diesel! lol
Is Ethanol a lot cleaner compared to using the Catalytic Converter route.
