Fast Facts

The U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture's Billion Ton Study found that we can grow adequate biomass feedstocks to displace approximately 30 percent of current gasoline consumption by 2030 on a sustainable basis – with only modest changes in land use. It determined that 1.3 billion tons of U.S. biomass feedstock is potentially available for the production of biofuels – more than enough biomass to meet the new renewable fuel standard mandated by EISA.

Ethanol is a clean, renewable fuel that will reduce our nation's dependence on oil and offers a variety of economic and environmental benefits. As we look to broaden our domestic energy resources, common misconceptions about ethanol production and use need to be cleared up. This page addresses some of the common myths about ethanol.

FACT: Ethanol results in fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than gasoline and is fully biodegradable, unlike some fuel additives.

• Today, on a life cycle basis, ethanol produced from corn results in about a 20 percent reduction in GHG emissions relative to gasoline. With improved efficiency and use of renewable energy, this reduction could be as much as 52 percent.
• In the future, ethanol produced from cellulose has the potential to cut life cycle GHG emissions by up to 86 percent relative to gasoline.
• Ethanol blended fuels currently in the market – whether E10 or E85 – meet stringent tailpipe emission standards.
• Ethanol readily biodegrades without harm to the environment, and is a safe, high-performance replacement for fuel additives such as MTBE.

In comparison to gasoline, ethanol made from cellulose and produced with power generated from biomass byproducts can result in an 86 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

FACT: Corn is only one source of ethanol. As we develop new, cost-effective methods for producing biofuels, a significant amount of ethanol will be made from more abundant cellulosic biomass sources.

• Future ethanol will be produced increasingly from cellulose found in crop residues (e.g., stalks, hulls), forestry residues (e.g., forest thinning, wood byproducts), energy crops (e.g.,rice, wheat, switchgrass, sorghum), and sorted municipal wastes.
• The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) requires use of 36 billion gallons of renewable transportation fuels in the U.S. by 2022. Of that quantity, 16 billion gallons must be cellulosic biofuels. Ethanol from corn is capped at 15 billion gallons.

FACT: In terms of fossil energy, each gallon of ethanol produced from corn today delivers one third or more energy than is used to produce it.

• Ethanol has a positive energy balance – that is, the energy content of ethanol is greater than the fossil energy used to produce it – and this balance is constantly improving with new technologies.
• Over the last 20 years, the amount of energy needed to produce ethanol from corn has significantly decreased because of improved farming techniques, more efficient use of fertilizers and pesticides, higher-yielding crops, and more energy-efficient conversion technology.
• Most studies that claim a negative energy balance for ethanol fail to take into account the energy contained in the co-products.

This graph shows how much fossil energy is required to provide 1 BTU of each fuel at the pump. The graph does not reflect energy derived from solar or other renewable sources used in the production of ethanol.

MYTH: Ethanol-gasoline blends can lower fuel economy and may harm your engine.

FACT: Ethanol blends in use today have little impact on fuel economy or vehicle performance.

• While ethanol delivers less energy than gasoline on a gallon-for-gallon basis, today's vehicles are designed to run on gasoline blended with small amounts of ethanol (10 percent or less) with no perceptible effect on fuel economy.
• Flex-fuel vehicles designed to run on higher ethanol blends (E85 or 85 percent ethanol) do experience reduced miles per gallon, but show a significant gain in horsepower and much fewer carbon emmissions.
• As a high-octane fuel additive and substitute for MTBE, ethanol enhances engine performance and adds oxygen to meet requirements for reformulated gasoline.

Race cars of the Indy Racing League benefit from the high performance characteristics of ethanol.

1. What is bioenergy and how and where can I use it?

Bioenergy is renewable energy made from any organic material from plants or animals. Sources of bioenergy are called "biomass," and include agricultural and forestry residues, municipal solid wastes, industrial wastes, and terrestrial and aquatic crops grown solely for energy purposes. Biomass is an attractive petroleum alternative because it is a renewable resource that is more evenly distributed over the Earth's surface than finite energy sources, and may be exploited using more environmentally friendly technologies. Today, biomass resources are used to generate electricity and power, and to produce liquid transportation fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol is the most widely used liquid transportation fuel, or biofuel. Currently, a majority of ethanol is made from corn, but new technologies are being developed to make ethanol from a wide range of agricultural and forestry resources. Ethanol may be used as an alternative fuel, for example, in E-85 for flex fuel vehicles, and may also be used as an octane-boosting, pollution-reducing additive to gasoline, such as E-10. E-10 is widely available at gas stations in most parts of the U.S.

2. Does ethanol require more energy to produce than it delivers as a fuel?

Ethanol has a positive energy balance. The energy content of ethanol is greater than the fossil energy used to produce it. This balance is constantly improving with new technologies. Over the last 20 years, the amount of energy needed to produce ethanol from corn has significantly decreased because of improved farming techniques, more efficient use of fertilizers and pesticides, higher-yielding crops, and more energy-efficient conversion technology.

How does biofuels production affect food and feed demand and costs?

DOE's efforts on biofuels focus exclusively on developing non-food/feed based cellulosic feedstocks and ethanol production technologies.

Corn and soybeans, the major commodity crops, are only one possible source of biofuels. As researchers develop new, cost-effective methods for converting biomass material to liquid transportation fuels, a significant amount will be made from more abundant cellulosic biomass sources, including crop and forestry residue waste.

Crops grown to produce biofuels in the United States can also utilize a variety of agricultural lands. Future cellulosic crops will have the added benefit of being able to grow on marginal soils not suited for traditional agriculture. Less than one percent of farm land globally is currently used to grow biofuels crops.

4. What current U.S. policies affect biofuels production and use?

Congress passed energy legislation, known as the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which raises standards for vehicle fuel economy and mandate that U.S. transportation fuel include 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels by 2022 and 2 billion gallons as soon as 2012. The legislation further requires that these advanced biofuels must achieve at least a 50% reduction in life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

5. Is bioenergy truly renewable?

Bioenergy is considered truly renewable because its source - biomass - is a replenishable resource. Vegetative matter will continue to grow as long as it is planted. Additionally, biomass energy recycles carbon dioxide during the plant photosynthesis process and uses it to make its own food. In comparison to fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal, which take millions of years to be produced, biomass is easy to grow, collect, utilize and replace quickly without depleting natural resources.

Ethanol Fast Fact

1. For every barrel of ethanol produced 1.2 barrels of petroleum are displaced at the refinery

2. Ethanol is key to reducing our country's trade deficit in crude oil, a figure that has been steadily increasing: $27 billion in 1987 up to $100 billion in 2002. Every $1 billion of trade deficit costs the U.S. 19,100 jobs.

3. USDA estimates that the Renewable Fuels Standard will generate an additional $2 billion to $4 billion in net farm income by 2012.

4. Aviation Grade Ethanol AGE-85 is beginning to replace 100 octane low lead aviation gasoline (avgas), which has been the standard leaded gasoline for aviation since World War II.

5. E10 is approved for use in any make or model of vehicle sold in the U.S. Many automakers recommend its use because of its high performance, clean-burning characteristics.

6. Ethanol blends are likely to reduce carbon monoxide emissions in vehicles by between 10% - 30%, depending upon the combustion technology. (U.S. EPA)

7. The American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago credits ethanol-blended fuel with reducing smog-forming emissions by 25% since 1990. The use of 10% ethanol blends reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 12-19% compared to conventional gasoline.

8. In 2004, ethanol use in the U.S. reduced CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 7 million tons, equal to removing the emissions of more than 1 million cars from the road.

9. Research shows a 35-46% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 50-60% reduction in fossil energy use due to the use of ethanol as a motor fuel.

10. E85 has the highest oxygen content of any fuel available, making it burn even more cleanly and even more completely than any other fuel.

11. U.S. fuel consumption increased from 12 billion gallons per year in 1970, to 160 billion gallons in 2002.