Alrighty, back to talking about corn. Before I dive into discussing the corn ethanol industry, you should check out my previous post, Renewable Fuel: What’s the Big Deal?. Ethanol made from corn has been the most popular renewable fuel to date. Corn is a readily available product here in the Midwest, so it just makes sense to make a fuel out of it.
Ethanol consumes approximately 39% of the corn produced in the United States, but some of it (an estimated 8%) goes back into the livestock industry as a feed supplement called Distillers Dried Grain Solubles (DDGS). DDGS are basically the part of the kernel that is not consumed in the ethanol making process, so this byproduct is sold to livestock farmers to feed to their animals. However, livestock farmers generally don’t like to see corn go into the ethanol industry because it increases the demand for corn, and they claim that they see significantly higher prices because of this. I will discuss this argument more in the final segment about corn, coming up this weekend.
Ethanol is sold in different blends. You’ll find ethanol in 10%, 15%, 30%, 50%, and 85% blends. Most regular gasoline contains 10% ethanol (soon to be 15%), which helps to control the price fluctuations a bit, as well as contributing to independence from foreign oil and helps our environment. When I buy ethanol, I purchase the 85% blend (E-85), which is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, and is the highest blend available. The remaining blends can be found at ethanol blender pumps, which are becoming more common at gas stations.
I fuel my car (a 2009 Chevy Impala) with ethanol. I love that ethanol is cheaper than gasoline, and I’ve seen savings of as much as $16.50 when fueling up, which is amazing for a college student. Right now, ethanol is only $2.79 in the Bloomington/Normal area, while gas is $3.37. Pretty awesome, right?
Look for this gas cap to know if you can fuel your vehicle with ethanol. Or check your owner’s manual.
I’m sure you’re wondering whether or not your vehicle can run on ethanol. If you have a flexible fuel vehicle (FFV), you can run on any blend of ethanol. You’ll know by a yellow gas cap or by checking your owner’s manual.
So best thing about ethanol, other than that it is cheaper than gasoline, is that it’s a renewable fuel. We are helping the environment by using ethanol. We’re also reducing our dependence on foreign oil and using something produced in the United States- and that’s not something you hear a lot of anymore. And as technology improves, ethanol is becoming more efficient. Worried that ethanol is taking up too much of our food supply? (That’s something else that I’ll talk about next time). Well, ethanol doesn’t just have to be made of corn. Advanced and cellulosic ethanol producers are working on utilizing different resources, such as corn stalk residue and different grasses.
Will you see more renewable fuel options in the future? Definitely. Will Americans find a way to stop using gasoline? More than likely. And it all started with corn-based ethanol.
Be sure to check out my next post on corn, which will be addressing different myths about the corn industry, such as Food vs. Fuel. And don’t forget to visit the new Fast Facts section in the meantime. 🙂
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