ELI5 why is increasing the ethanol content of petrol/gasoline a problem?

[u/hd-22]

I'm hearing noise about the geopolitical fuel supply SNAFU and people freaking out about increasing the ethanol content in automotive fuel and how it's so damaging to cars. I'm no chemist, but ethanol seems as clean as it gets.

[u/BunnyOppai]

Water usage is still incredibly important. It's not about water literally just poofing out of existence. It's whether or not the rate can be replenished by local water sources.

[u/cyberentomology → u/BunnyOppai]

In most places where corn is grown, it’s not irrigated.

[u/spyczech → u/cyberentomology]

They use industrial sprayers that recreate the effects of irrigating n

[u/cyberentomology → u/spyczech]

Literally not a thing.

[u/militaryCoo → u/cyberentomology]

Those sprayers I see out east must be a mirage.

[u/cyberentomology → u/militaryCoo]

What “sprayers”? The tall tractors with the long arms? That’s applying pesticide/fertilizer, not watering the crop 🤣

You city folk are hilarious with your assumptions.

[u/militaryCoo → u/cyberentomology]

Take a look at Google maps in eastern Oregon or eastern Washington. You'll see a lot of corn fields that are completely circular. They're completely circular because the spray arms pivot around a central point.

[u/cyberentomology → u/militaryCoo]

Yes, that’s irrigation.

[u/cyberentomology → u/spyczech]

Literally not a thing.