What percent of corn is used for ethanol?
40 percent
Today’s corn crop is mainly used for biofuels (roughly 40 percent of U.S. corn is used for ethanol) and as animal feed (roughly 36 percent of U.S. corn, plus distillers grains left over from ethanol production, is fed to cattle, pigs and chickens).
How much ethanol does an acre of corn produce?
Through research performed at Cornell University, we know that 1 acre of land can yield about 7,110 pounds (3,225 kg) of corn, which can be processed into 328 gallons (1240.61 liters) of ethanol. That is about 26.1 pounds (11.84 kg) of corn per gallon.
Why corn should not be used as fuel?
Corn is indeed a renewable resource, but it has a far lower yield relative to the energy used to produce it than either biodiesel (such as soybean oil) or ethanol from other plants. Ethanol yields about 30 percent less energy per gallon than gasoline, so mileage drops off significantly.
What percentage of crops are used to feed livestock?
Twenty-six percent of the Planet’s ice-free land is used for livestock grazing and 33 percent of croplands are used for livestock feed production. Livestock contribute to seven percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions through enteric fermentation and manure.
What kind of corn is used for ethanol?
Field corn
In fact, it’s sometime called “dent corn” because of the distinctive dent that forms on the kernel as the corn dries. Field corn has dozens of uses, but it is most commonly fed to animals or used to make renewable fuels like ethanol to power our cars and trucks.
Should corn be used for ethanol or food?
Should corn be used for food or fuel? The truth is that we grow enough corn to supply both food and fuel, as well as other valuable byproducts. In addition to being used for livestock feed, corn can be produced into ethanol, a renewable biofuel.
How much corn is used for animal feed?
The Global Markets for Corn The largest market for corn grown in the United States is animal feed, as it provides a good source of energy. Nearly half (48.7 percent) of the corn grown in 2013 was used as animal feed.
What are corn crops used for?
The rest of the corn crop is used for human food, beverages, and industrial uses in the U.S., or exported to other countries for food or feed use. Corn has hundreds of uses. It is used to make breakfast cereal, tortilla chips, grits, canned beer, soda, cooking oil, and bio-degradable packing materials.
What kind of corn is fed to livestock?
Field corn, also called cow corn (because it’s used to make cow feed), is taller than sweet corn and has thicker leaves. It stays in the fields until the kernels are dry, mostly because it’s easier to process that way.
Why should corn not be used to make ethanol?
Producing ethanol from corn is a bad idea not only because of the poor energy return on investment (EROI), but also because of the impact it is having on ecosystems in the Midwest. Corn-based ethanol as a vehicle fuel has never been a good idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PV7XIGafQY