Ethanol from corn: the economics?

…Corn prices are the crucial input. Finally, recent industry data are tabulated, showing how the US diverts c40% of its corn crop into biofuels rather than food and feed (below)….
…Corn prices are the crucial input. Finally, recent industry data are tabulated, showing how the US diverts c40% of its corn crop into biofuels rather than food and feed (below)….
…look-through CO2 footprint for corn ethanol, including data from actual bio-ethanol plants and our corn ethanol economic model. We think the Scope 1-3 CO2 of corn ethanol is 240kg/boe, or…
…up to 200kg of nitrogen can be applied per acre, increasing corn crop yields from 60 bushels per acre (with no fertilizer) to 160 bushels per acre (at 200 kg/acre)….
…of corn in the US is 175 bushels (explored in detail in our biofuels research below). 1 bushel of corn contains 88k kcal of food energy. Hence 1 acre of…
…increases both soil carbon (24% increase in root mass for corn crops) and crop yields (8-10bu/acre for corn). Acreage that sequesters 1T CO2 per acre per year can be trebled…
30M acres of US croplands are used to grow corn for ethanol. Each acre prevents 2-3 tons of CO2 emissions per annum, for a CO2 abatement cost of $200/ton. However,…
…And thus could this turn into ‘the worst of times’ for corn ethanol, bio-diesel and renewable diesel? The outcome depends on the numbers, which are explored in this report. Our…
…cart In addition, we estimate 75kg/boe is emitted in producing corn, and around 2 boe of corn are needed to make 1 boe of ethanol. Thus bio-ethanol has a total…
…This report was originally published in 2020. We have also deepened our analysis of the corn ethanol industry, CO2 of corn production, alternative uses for bio-ethanol and an outlook for…
Could new technologies reinvigorate corn-based ethanol? This 12-page note assesses three options. We are constructive on combining CCS or CO2-EOR with an ethanol plant, which yields a carbon-negative fuel. But…
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