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In 1995 the USDA released a report stating that the net energy balance of corn ethanol in the United States was an average of 1.24. It was previously considered to have a negative net energy balance. However, due to increases in corn crop yield and more efficient farming practices corn ethanol had gained energy efficiency. [3]
One major drawback with corn ethanol, is the energy returned on energy invested , meaning the energy outputted in comparison to the energy required to output that energy. Compared to oil, with an 11:1 EROI, corn ethanol has a much lower EROI of 1.5:1, which, in turn, also provides less mileage per gallon compared to gasoline. [7]
The total amount of energy input into the process compared to the energy released by burning the resulting ethanol fuel is known as the energy balance (or "energy returned on energy invested"). Figures compiled in a 2007 report by National Geographic [ 68 ] point to modest results for corn ethanol produced in the US: one unit of fossil-fuel ...
In other words, for the same energy content as one liter or one gallon of gasoline, one needs 1.6 liters/gallons of ethanol and 2.1 liters/gallons of methanol. The raw energy-per-volume numbers produce misleading fuel consumption numbers, however, because alcohol-fueled engines can be made substantially more energy-efficient.
The actual net energy of biofuel production is highly dependent on both the bio source that is converted into energy, how it is grown and harvested (and in particular the use of petroleum-derived fertilizer), and how efficient the process of conversion to usable energy is. Details on this can be found in the Ethanol fuel energy balance article.
Blank: The U.S. ethanol industry is supplying about 15 billion gallons into U.S. gasoline markets. There are 100 billion gallons, globally, of aviation fuel. They all have sustainable goals that ...
The dominant ethanol feedstock in warmer regions is sugarcane. [8] In temperate regions, corn or sugar beets are used. [8] [9] In the United States, the main feedstock for the production of ethanol is currently corn. [8] Approximately 2.8 gallons of ethanol are produced from one bushel of corn (0.42 liter per kilogram).
Popular choices for plant biofuels include: oil palm, soybean, castor oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn ethanol, and sugar cane ethanol. A 2008 Hawaiian oil palm plantation projection stated: "algae could yield from 5,000-10,000 gallons of oil per acre yearly, compared to 250-350 gallons for jatropha and 600-800 gallons for palm oil ".