Many industry professionals in the United States believe that bioenergy can solve the US transportation fuel demand problem. However, some experts have pointed out in recent days that considering the reality of the United States, biofuels are not a long-term and practical solution.
Biofuels, ie, ethanol made from grain, sugarcane, switchgrass, or other crops, but extracting ethanol from grains or from agricultural wastes are just a drop in the bucket for America's huge gasoline and diesel demand.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s study on ethanol production from cereals believes that one hectare of grain yields 350 gallons of ethanol, but from the perspective of energy transport, ethanol only burns two-thirds of gasoline. Moreover, ethanol production requires a lot of energy input, and the effective net energy available after deduction is less than half of the above data. The total grain production of the 73 million hectares of grain planted in the United States will generate only 25.5 billion gallons of ethanol, equivalent to 17 billion gallons of gasoline, accounting for only one-tenth of the 170 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel consumed in the United States each year. By 2025, even if all 300 million hectares of arable land in the United States are used for the production of ethanol, cereals and crop waste will only meet half of the US transportation fuel demand, and the impact on land and agricultural development will be devastating.
Experts also compared the situation in the United States with Brazil. Brazil consumes only 10 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel a year, which is only 1/17 of the U.S. consumption. Brazil has only 60,000 miles of road, only 1/66 of the United States. Brazil is the world's leading sugar cane producer with an annual output of about 300 million tons, so there is sufficient agricultural waste to produce ethanol, and the current arable land in the United States needs to be reserved for growing food.
Biofuels, ie, ethanol made from grain, sugarcane, switchgrass, or other crops, but extracting ethanol from grains or from agricultural wastes are just a drop in the bucket for America's huge gasoline and diesel demand.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s study on ethanol production from cereals believes that one hectare of grain yields 350 gallons of ethanol, but from the perspective of energy transport, ethanol only burns two-thirds of gasoline. Moreover, ethanol production requires a lot of energy input, and the effective net energy available after deduction is less than half of the above data. The total grain production of the 73 million hectares of grain planted in the United States will generate only 25.5 billion gallons of ethanol, equivalent to 17 billion gallons of gasoline, accounting for only one-tenth of the 170 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel consumed in the United States each year. By 2025, even if all 300 million hectares of arable land in the United States are used for the production of ethanol, cereals and crop waste will only meet half of the US transportation fuel demand, and the impact on land and agricultural development will be devastating.
Experts also compared the situation in the United States with Brazil. Brazil consumes only 10 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel a year, which is only 1/17 of the U.S. consumption. Brazil has only 60,000 miles of road, only 1/66 of the United States. Brazil is the world's leading sugar cane producer with an annual output of about 300 million tons, so there is sufficient agricultural waste to produce ethanol, and the current arable land in the United States needs to be reserved for growing food.