Glossary
Not familiar with ethanol terms? This page will help you understand the basic language that is commonly used in the ethanol industry.
Next Generation
American ethanol production is constantly evolving. Cellulosic feedstocks and other next generational technologies are rapidly nearing commercial production. Unfortunately, difficult economic conditions and uncertainty about federal biofuel policy is chilling investment, preventing these technologies from taking the commercialization step.
Carbon Footprint
Ethanol is the only low carbon alternative to gasoline available in adequate and growing supplies today. All credible comparisons to gasoline demonstrate a clear reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with the use of ethanol, ranging from 40-60%.
Ethanol Industry Stats
Ethanol is used as a blend component in 80% of the nation's gasoline supply today and increasingly as a gasoline replacement in the form of E85.
How is it made?
Ethanol is made from the fermentation of sugars, and can be produced in a variety of methods using a host of resources. The most common is grains, but other options include grasses, wood waste and even garbage.
Where is it made?
Ethanol production occurs in hundreds of rural communities around the country, employing local residents in fields ranging from accounting to maintenance to chemistry and engineering. This is not just a Midwest product anymore. Farmer-owned cooperatives, private companies, publicly traded corporations and even oil interests are a few of the business models the ethanol industry encompasses.
Why is it important?
Ethanol is the only clean-burning liquid fuel available to replace oil used in our cars and light trucks. In 2008 we produced 9 billion gallons of ethanol, accounting for 7 percent of our gasoline sales. In doing so we eliminated the need for more than 300 million barrels of imported oil. It is domestic, supplying nearly 500,000 jobs in 2008. It is made from renewable resources.
E85 Information
Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs): Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) are designed to run on gasoline or E85. E85 is a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. FFVs have been produced since 1998, and more and more manufacturers enter the market all of the time. You may own a FFV and not even know it. To determine if your vehicle is an FFV, check the inside of your car's fuel filler door for an identification sticker, yellow gas cap, or consult your owner's manual.
Engine Performance
Ethanol, an alcohol fuel, provides high quality, high octane for exceptional engine performance and reduced emissions. Ethanol has been used in cars since Henry Ford designed his 1908 Model T to operate on alcohol. Trillions of miles have been driven on ethanol-blended fuel since 1980. In fact, several teams in national and international racing competitions use ethanol because of its high octane and exceptional performance. Starting in 2007, the Indy Racing League – home of the Indianapolis 500 - began using 100% ethanol instead of methanol as its official race fuel. These professional racecar drivers will tell you: "Ethanol performs!"
Economy
The growing ethanol industry provides a significant contribution to the American economy, creating new high-paying jobs., increasing market opportunities for farmers, generating additional household income and tax revenues, and stimulating capital investment. FACT: In 2008, The U.S. ethanol industry last year added an additional 240,000 jobs, bringing the employment attributable to ethanol to almost a half a million. New jobs are created as a consequence of increased economic activity caused by ethanol production. The increase in economic activity resulting from ongoing production, construction of new capacity, and R&D supported more than 494,000 jobs in all sectors of the economy during 2008.
Motorcycles & Ethanol
E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) is acceptable in motorcycles and other small engines like snowmobiles, lawn mowers, and ATVS that run on ordinary unleaded gasoline. Since the mid-1980s, manufacturers have indicated that ethanol-blended fuels could be used in equipments with small engines. Some even recommend its use for cleaner air. If you are unsure, please check your owner’s manual for guidance.
Ethanol & Marine Equipment
Over the past couple of months, fuel blenders have extended the availability of fuels containing up to 10% volume ethanol (E10) to many new regions of the U.S. Many areas across the country successfully utilize only ethanol-blended fuels year round and across all octane grades, proving that ethanol blended fuels can be used successfully in marine applications. As an example, the State of Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, has had an E10 mandate for more than a decade. E10 is considered substantially similar to gasoline by the federal government, and virtually every gallon of gasoline sold in the U.S. today contains a percentage of ethanol up to 10%.
Food & Fuel
More than 98 percent of U.S. ethanol today is produced from grains such as corn and sorghum. This process yields both fuel and livestock feed. One-third of each bushel of grain used to produce ethanol is returned to the market in the form of livestock feed-distillers grains, corn gluten feed, and corn gluten meal.
Energy Security
The United States is increasingly dependent on imported energy to meet our personal, transportation, and industrial needs. As a domestic, renewable source of energy, ethanol can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and increase the United States' ability to control its own security and economic future by increasing the availability of domestic fuel supplies. By displacing hundreds of millions of barrels of imported oil, the increasing reliance on domestically-produced ethanol is making available billions of dollars for investment in domestic renewable energy technologies. The increased supply of biofuels worldwide is lowering oil demand, while also helping to mitigate the devastating impacts of volatile oil markets, which reached a record $140/barrel in 2008.
