AIR QUALITY
CLIMATE CHANGE
According to Argonne National
Laboratory, ethanol reduces greenhouse
gas emissions by an average of 34
percent when compared to gasoline.
AIR QUALITY & HEALTH
The American Lung Association recognizes
ethanol as a Clean Air Choice© alternative fuel
for its proven ability to reduce tailpipe
emissions and virtually eliminate air toxics!
Air Quality & The Environment
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, each gallon of corn ethanol delivers 2.3 times more energy as is used to produce it.
The use of E85 reduces greenhouse emissions and ozone-forming pollutants by nearly 40%. Additionally, E85 usage reduces volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions by 12%.
According to Dr. Michael Wang of Argonne National Laboratory, one gallon of ethanol reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 6.41 pounds.
Recent studies have shown carbon dioxide (CO2) is the largest greenhouse gas contributor to changing weather patterns linked to climate change. “Climate change” is a term used to identify and explain significant climate changes that are detrimental to human and plant life.
Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln found that ethanol, today, reduces direct greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 48 to 59% compared to gasoline.
Production & Sustainability
In 2015, The amount of agricultural land in the United States required to produce 15 billion gallons of grain ethanol is likely to consume less than one percent of the global amount of cropland as required by the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA).
One-third of every bushel of grain processed into ethanol is enhanced and returned to the animal feed market in the form of distillers grains, corn gluten feed or corn gluten meal.
1 bushel of corn=
- 2.8 gallons of ethanol;
- 17.5 pounds of livestock feed (distillers grains) and;
- 18 pounds of carbon dioxide.
By-products from producing ethanol are beneficial for both food and fuel supply chains. Distillers corn oil, for example, is used to make biodiesel, a renewable, low-carbon alternative to petroleum diesel fuel. CO2 captured during the production process can also be used for carbonating beverages, like soda or beer!