Corn Ethanol

Trevor Craig

Energy Science 110

Corn-Ethanol in the USA, 21

11/24/11         

This lecture was all about corn ethanol, the effects it has on the economy, the uses of it, and overall general information regarding everything corn ethanol related. We have to find ways to lessen our impact on the environment, one of these ways is by using corn ethanol. By using more corn ethanol we reduce hazardous air pollutants, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduces the amount of oil we have to rely on from other countries, while also encouraging our own farming communities.

Ethanol has a close heating value to gasoline, gasoline has a heating value of 44 MJ/kg where ethanol has a heating value of 29 MJ/kg, so that means that ethanol has 70% of the energy content of gasoline. To get ethanol from corn you need to first go through a process similar to making beer; while making ethanol it makes multiple co-products which can then be used for a lot of other helpful things. Corn grain has a lot of starch being close to 70% of its mass being starches which is what is used for making ethanol; other co-products like proteins, lipids, fibers, lignin, and ash are then what are distilled and left after fermenting the corn grain.

When there are left over parts of corn grain that are left over from making ethanol it is often given to livestock; by using distillers grains we can replace 55% of corn grain in traditional corn based diets for beef cattle, and 75% of corn for dairy cattle. Animals primarily eat the dry grains eating about 64% dry grain and 36% wet grain. Ethanol has been being added to our gasoline for years now and will most likely continue to grow; in 2007 about 50% of fuel in the United States had E10 which is 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline. In 2010 E85, which is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, was sold at 2300 gas stations in the United States and more cars were adapting to use E85.

 The United States Independence and Security Act of 2007 says we need to 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022, 15 billion of which comes from corn ethanol by 2015. The government obviously sees that ethanol is an important thing for the United States; it is also helpful because it has reduced foreign oil imports by about $34 billion dollars and lowered gasoline prices by about $0.89 dollars per gallon. Since we have been using ethanol we have also been experiencing an increase in corn prices by about 36% and record profits agriculturally, making our unemployment be one of the lowest in the United States. Ethanol may not solve all our problems, but it solves enough to make it worthwhile.

Distillers grains-A co-product of dry mill ethanol production that is fed to livestock. May also be referred to as DDGS (dried distillers grains with solubles, but can be fed "wet" (undried) to cattle.)

Cultivate- To grow plants, notably crops; To nurture; tend; To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting.

ENSC110 Craig Corn Ethanol