Glossary

1 bushel of corn = 2.8 gallons of ethanol and 17.5 pounds of livestock feed.

A gallon of ethanol contains 77,000 BTUs.

Ethanol has an octane rating of 113.

Biomass: Collectively it is all of the organic matter produced consisting of wood wastes, corn cobs, grasses, citrus wastes, other agricultural residues, wheat straw, etc.

Blender Pumps: Gasoline dispensers that allow station owners to offer multiple ethanol blends from E0 to E85, and provide consumers a choice in what fuel they put in their tank.

Carbon Intensity: The measurement of life cycle carbon emissions for any product, including fuels.

Cellulose: A developing feedstock for ethanol production, it is the material in plants that holds them together and contains sugars that are increasingly cost effective to convert into ethanol.

Co-Products: Other products made by ethanol plants as a result of ethanol production. Depending on the type of ethanol facility, co-products can include livestock feed, corn sweeteners, corn oil, carbon dioxide and other value-added products.

Distillers Grains: The nutrient-rich livestock feed co-product of ethanol production from grain sources.

Dry mill: An ethanol production process in which the entire corn kernel is first ground into flour before processing.

E15: (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline) this ethanol-blended fuel has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for light duty vehicles model year 2001 and newer, and all flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs).

Enzymes: A protein used to break down starches into complex sugars or simple sugars.

Ethanol: A colorless, renewable alcohol fuel processed from grain, plant sugars, and other plant material.

Feedstock: The raw materials that are used to make ethanol such as corn, corn cobs, switchgrass, wood chips, beverage waste, municipal waste.

Flex-Fuel Vehicle: A specifically designed vehicle with an engine capable of running on ethanol blends up to 85%.

Indirect land use change (ILUC): The theory that increased production of biofuels will divert cropland away from food production, in turn forcing new cropland from rainforests and virgin acres to be brought into other production in other parts of the world.

Octane rating: The octane rating of a fuel is indicated on the pump using numbers such as 87, 90, 91, etc. The octane rating represents the "antiknock" properties of the fuel. The higher the number, the greater the octane rating of the gasoline. The higher the number, the slower the fuel burns and the less likely your engine will knock. Ethanol typically adds 2 or 3 octane numbers when blended with ordinary gasoline.

Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): Sets mandatory blend levels for renewable fuels while also establishing greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction criteria and a methodology for calculating lifecycle GHG emissions.