Efficiency of Common Crops
As ethanol yields improve or different feedstocks are introduced, ethanol production may become more economically feasible in the US. Currently, research on improving ethanol yields from each unit of corn is underway using biotechnology. Also, as long as oil prices remain high, the economical use of other feedstocks, such as cellulose, become viable. By-products such as straw or wood chips can be converted to ethanol. Fast growing species like switchgrass can be grown on land not suitable for other cash crops and yield high levels of ethanol per unit area.
| Crop | Annual yield (Liters/hectare, US gal/acre) | Greenhouse-gas savings vs. petrol |
Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miscanthus | 7300 L/ha, 780 g/acre |
37%–73% | Low-input perennial grass. Ethanol production depends on development of cellulosic technology. | |
| Switchgrass | 3100–7600 L/ha, 330–810 g/acre |
37%–73% | Low-input perennial grass. Ethanol production depends on development of cellulosic technology. Breeding efforts underway to increase yields. Higher biomass production possible with mixed species of perennial grasses. | |
| Poplar | 3700–6000 L/ha, 400–640 g/acre |
51%–100% | Fast-growing tree. Ethanol production depends on development of cellulosic technology. Completion of genomic sequencing project will aid breeding efforts to increase yields. | |
| Sugar cane | 6800–8000 L/ha, 727–870 g/acre |
87%–96% | Long-season annual grass. Used as feedstock for most bioethanol produced in Brazil. Newer processing plants burn residues not used for ethanol to generate electricity. Grows only in tropical and subtropical climates. | |
| Sweet sorghum | 2500–7000 L/ha, 270–750 g/acre |
No data | Low-input annual grass. Ethanol production possible using existing technology. Grows in tropical and temperate climates, but highest ethanol yield estimates assume multiple crops per year (possible only in tropical climates). Does not store well. | |
| Corn | 3100–4000 L/ha, 330–424 g/acre |
10%–20% | High-input annual grass. Used as feedstock for most bioethanol produced in USA. Only kernels can be processed using available technology; development of commercial cellulosic technology would allow stover to be used and increase ethanol yield by 1,100 - 2,000 litres/ha. | |
Read more about this topic: Ethanol Fuel
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)