INTRODUCTION

Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from various plant materials collectively known as "biomass." More
than 98% of U.S. gasoline contains ethanol to oxygenate the fuel. Typically, gasoline contains E10 (10%
ethanol, 90% gasoline), which reduces air pollution while Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from
renewable biological sources, including plants and algae. Biofuels offer a solution to one of the
challenges of solar, wind, and other alternative energy sources

BACKGROUND

Ethanol, also known as “ethyl alcohol” or “grade alcohol,” is a flammable, colorless, chemical compound,
representing one of the most commonly found alcohols in alcoholic beverages. It is often referred to
simply as alcohol. Its molecular formula is C2H6O, variously represented as EtOH or C2H5OH biofuel, any
fuel that is derived from biomass—that is, plant or algae material or animal waste. Since such feedstock
material can be replenished readily, biofuel is considered to be a source of renewable energy, unlike
fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas.

EXPOSITION

Ethanol is made from biomass

Fuel ethanol is anhydrous, denatured alcohol that meets the American Society of Testing and Materials
(ASTM) standard specification D4806 for ethanol use as a fuel in spark-ignition engines. Most of the fuel
ethanol produced around the world is made by fermenting the sugar in the starches of grains such as
corn, sorghum, and barley, and the sugar in sugar cane and sugar beets. Denaturants are added to
ethanol to make fuel ethanol undrinkable. In the United States, nearly all fuel ethanol is produced from
corn kernel starch, which is considered a conventional biofuel under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard
Program (RFS).

There are other potential sources of ethanol other than fermentation of grain starch and sugars.
Researchers have experimented with feedstocks including agriculture residues such as corn and rice
stalks, fast-growing poplar and willow trees, grasses such as switchgrass that can produce two harvests a
year for many years without annual replanting, and biomass in municipal solid waste. Trees and grasses
require less fuel, fertilizers, and water to grow than grains do, and they can be grown on lands that are
not suitable for growing food crops. Ethanol made from these sources is called cellulosic ethanol and is
considered an advanced biofuel under the RFS. However, despite the technical potential for cellulosic
ethanol production from those sources, economical production has been difficult to achieve. As of the
end of 2020, there was no commercial cellulosic ethanol production in the United States. Brazil—the
world's second-largest consumer of fuel ethanol after United States—uses sugar cane to produce
ethanol, which qualifies as an advanced biofuel for use in the United States under the RFS.

Ethanol is blended with gasoline

Nearly all of the motor gasoline now sold in the United States is about 10% ethanol by volume, and
gasoline that is 10% ethanol by volume is called E10. Any gasoline-powered vehicle in the United States
can use E10. Cars, light trucks, and medium-duty vehicles of model year 2001 and newer can use E15.
Only flexible-fuel vehicles can use gasoline with ethanol content greater than 15%. E85, a fuel that
contains 51%–83% ethanol, depending on location and season, is mainly sold in the Midwest and can
only be used in a flexible-fuel vehicle.

Gasoline that does not contain ethanol—E0 (or ethanol-free gasoline)—may be available in some
locations around the country for use in gasoline-powered tools, landscaping equipment, boats, and
other equipment with gasoline engines for which E0 is recommended.

Last updated: April 7, 2022

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Biofuels explained

BASICS

DATA & STATISTICS

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The term biofuels usually applies to liquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass
materials called feedstocks. Most biofuels are used as transportation fuels, but they may also be used
for heating and electricity generation. Gaseous fuels produced from biomass that are used directly as a
gas or converted to liquid fuels may qualify for use in government programs that promote or require use
of biofuels.

The terminology for different types of biofuels used in government legislation and incentive programs
and in industry branding and marketing efforts varies. For example, the names of biofuels may include
preceding the type or use of the fuel with bio (such as biodiesel or biojet) or with the words advanced,
alternative, clean, green, low-carbon, renewable, or sustainable (such as sustainable aviation fuel). The
definitions for these biofuels may also differ depending on the language in government legislation and
programs that require or promote their use and among industry and other organizations.
Production and consumption of biofuels in the United States have generally increased each year since
the early 1980s. The increases are largely because of various government policies and programs
intended to reduce the use of transportation fuels made from fossil fuels by promoting and/or requiring
the use of biofuels. The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit for blending ethanol into motor gasoline
from 2005 through 2011 contributed to large increases in ethanol consumption during the period when
the incentive was in effect. A tax credit of $1.00 per gallon currently in place for biodiesel and renewable
diesel fuel blenders is helping to increase the use of those fuels. Major major government programs
contributing to increases in U.S. biofuels production and consumption in the past 15 years are the
federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS).
Oregon and Washington have also established clean fuel programs.

In 2021, about 17.5 billion gallons of biofuels were produced in the United States and about 16.8 billion
gallons were consumed. The United States was a net exporter of about 0.8 billion gallons of biofuels in
2021, with fuel ethanol accounting for the largest share of gross and net exports of biofuels.

Most of biofuel consumption occurs as a blend with refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel
fuel, heating oil, and kerosene-type jet fuel. However, some biofuels do not require blending with their
petroleum counterparts and are referred to as drop-in biofuels.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes data on four major categories of biofuels
that qualify for use in the federal RFS Program:1

Ethanol—an alcohol fuel that is blended with petroleum gasoline for use in vehicles and accounted for
the largest shares of U.S. biofuel production (85%) and consumption (82%) in 2021.

Biodiesel—a biofuel that is usually blended with petroleum diesel for consumption and accounts for the
second-largest shares of U.S. biofuel production (11%) and consumption (12%) in 2021.

Renewable diesel—a fuel chemically similar to petroleum diesel fuel for use as a drop-in fuel or a
petroleum diesel blend with small but growing U.S. production and consumption. Renewable diesel's
percentage shares of total U.S. biofuels production and consumption were about 3% and 5%
respectively in 2021.

Other biofuels—include renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel (sustainable aviation fuel, alternative
jet fuel, biojet), renewable naphtha, renewable gasoline, and other emerging biofuels that are in various
stages of development and commercialization.
Gaseous fuels that may be compressed for use as a gaseous biofuel or liquefied for use as a liquid
biofuel include biogas (renewable natural gas) and hydrogen produced using renewable resources.

REFLECTION

As a student what can you do about it?

As a student i know to myself that i can also help to make a biofuel for us to reduce the expences in our
home and by this procedure the garbages must be reduceses also,it help our environment to decrease
waste and reused it in a warmful ways. This process is very invironmental friendly,maybe we can also
cunduct or encourage every house holds to do this kind of stuff.

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Discover ethanol, a cleaner-burning fuel alternative to gasoline, and the efforts to produce it more
efficiently in this video from NOVA.

Today, most ethanol in the United States is made from corn kernels. But converting corn into ethanol
requires lots of energy as well as corn, which might otherwise be used to feed people and livestock.

The video features research efforts to use less valuable plant matter, called cellulosic biomass, and
microorganisms that may be able to accomplish the conversion from plant matter to fuel in a single step.

ETHANOL

Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is a renewable fuel that can be made from various plant materials, collectively
known as “biomass.” Ethanol is an alcohol used as a blending agent with gasoline to increase octane and
cut down carbon monoxide and other smog-causing emissions.

The most common blend of ethanol is E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) and is approved for use in most
conventional gasoline-powered vehicles up to E15 (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline). Some vehicles, called
flexible fuel vehicles, are designed to run on E85 (a gasoline-ethanol blend containing 51%–83% ethanol,
depending on geography and season), an alternative fuel with much higher ethanol content than regular
gasoline. Roughly 97% of gasoline in the United States contains some ethanol.
Most ethanol is made from plant starches and sugars—particularly corn starch in the United States—but
scientists are continuing to develop technologies that would allow for the use of cellulose and
hemicellulose, the non-edible fibrous material that constitutes the bulk of plant matter.

The common method for converting biomass into ethanol is called fermentation. During fermentation,
microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and yeast) metabolize plant sugars and produce ethanol.

Ethanol is a renewable, earth-friendly biofuel made from plants that reduces greenhouse gas and other
harmful pollutant emissions. Most ethanol is currently made from corn and sorghum, but new
technologies allow ethanol to be created from other materials like wood chips and agricultural waste

The economic, environmental, and social advantages of biofuel have become increasingly known over
recent years.

Biofuels are fuels that can be produced from any renewable biological resources, such as plant material.
Renewable sources of biofuel include a broad range of biomass and agricultural products. These include
rapeseed, soy, tallow, sugar cane, corn, palm oil, waste vegetable oil (WVO), and used vegetable oil
(UVO). Generally speaking, these first-generation biofuels are most commonly used for transportation,
home heating, and power generation from stationary engines