Ethanol: Getting Even Greener
New Argonne National Laboratory Report Identifies Gains
Washington, DC - A new analysis of America’s ethanol industry shows dramatic efficiency gains in ethanol production have been made in a short period of time. According to an analysis conducted by the Argonne National Laboratory, American ethanol facilities are using less energy and water than just five years ago while producing more ethanol.
Read the full analysis from Argonne (pdf).
The Argonne analysis compares ethanol industry data from 2001 to 2006. In 2001, U.S. ethanol production was 1.77 billion gallons. In 2006, U.S. ethanol production was 4.9 billion gallons, an increase of 276%. During this period of production growth, the Argonne analysis shows significant improvement for ethanol’s already green footprint. In the past five years, according to the analysis:
- Water consumption -- down 26.6%
- Grid electricity use -- down 15.7%
- Total energy use -- down 21.8%
“The dramatic improvements in dry mill ethanol production demonstrate this industry’s commitment to developing and utilizing the most efficient technologies available,” said Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen. “In the past five years, America’s ethanol industry has shown its ability to increasingly meet the fuel needs of the nation while addressing the climate change concerns of the planet. In the next five years, America’s ethanol producers will demonstrate their ability to develop and employ new technologies that further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, grow our nation’s supply of renewable fuel, and expand the basket of products from which ethanol is made. The future of this industry is bright and green.”
The increased use of ethanol is also helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from America’s automobile fleet. According to the GREET 1.7 model (the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation model developed by the Argonne Laboratory to evaluate various vehicle and fuel combinations on a full fuel-cycle basis), the production and use of 6.5 billion gallons of ethanol in 2007 resulted in the reduction of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions by 10 million tons, the equivalent of removing more than 1.5 million cars from American roads.
Importantly, the Argonne analysis also found two key trends that making ethanol more efficient and environmentally friendly. The analysis noted that:
- Nearly 25% of ethanol producers today are capturing their carbon dioxide emissions for use in dry ice production and carbonated beverage bottling.
- 37% of distillers grains – the high protein livestock feed co-product of ethanol production – are now sold in the wet form, reducing the energy needed to dry and transport the product.
The improvements being made in ethanol production today signal the greener direction in which this industry is moving. The development and implementation of new technologies that improve efficiencies and expand the basket of feedstocks available for ethanol production is occurring rapidly, as the Argonne analysis indicates.
Conversely, the petroleum industry is moving in the opposite direction. As all of the ‘easy’ reserves of oil have been exploited, oil producers are having to drill deeper and go further into environmentally sensitive lands in pursuit of crude. The environmental impacts of these activities are far greater than even today’s petroleum production.
Evidence of this can be found in the cleared boreal forests of Alberta, Canada. Here, according to Environmental Defense Canada, oil producers are mining the sand for oil that emits 300% more greenhouse gases than traditional petroleum production, in what Environmental Defense has called “the most destructive project on Earth” (pdf). What’s more, the Chicago Tribune reported on February 12, 2008 in an article entitled “Refinery pollution may soar” that this heavier, sourer crude oil requires a more intense refining process that is prompting oil refineries in the Upper Midwest to request an increase in the amount of pollution the release.
“As the world’s demand for liquid motor fuels increases, it is imperative that we diversify away from petroleum as the sole source for these fuels,” said Dinneen. “Biofuels, like ethanol, offer nations around the globe an opportunity to begin the long and difficult process of diversifying the world’s energy portfolio.” |
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