Biofuel in the United States

Main articles: Biofuel and Renewable energy in the United States

The United States produces mainly biodiesel and ethanol fuel, which uses corn as the main feedstock. The US is the world's largest producer of ethanol, having produced nearly 16 billion gallons in 2017 alone.[1] The United States, together with Brazil accounted for 85 percent of all ethanol production, with total world production of 27.05 billion gallons. Biodiesel is commercially available in most oilseed-producing states. As of 2005, it was somewhat more expensive than fossil diesel, though it is still commonly produced in relatively small quantities, in comparison to petroleum products and ethanol fuel.

Biofuels are mainly used mixed with fossil fuels. They are also used as additives. The largest biodiesel consumer is the U.S. Army.[citation needed] Most light vehicles on the road today in the US can run on blends of up to 10% ethanol, and motor vehicle manufacturers already produce vehicles designed to run on much higher ethanol blends. The demand for bioethanol fuel in the United States was stimulated by the discovery in the late 90s that methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), an oxygenate additive in gasoline, was contaminating groundwater.[2][3] Cellulosic biofuels are under development, to avoid upward pressure on food prices and land use changes that would be expected to result from a major increase in use of food biofuels.[2]

Biofuels are not just limited to liquid fuels. One of the often overlooked uses of biomass in the United States is in the gasification of biomass. There is a small, but growing number of people using woodgas to fuel cars and trucks all across America.[4]

The challenge is to expand the market for biofuels beyond the farm states where they have been most popular to date.[5] Flex-fuel vehicles are assisting in this transition because they allow drivers to choose different fuels based on price and availability.

The growing ethanol and biodiesel industries are providing jobs in plant construction, operations, and maintenance, mostly in rural communities. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, the ethanol industry created almost 154,000 U.S. jobs in 2005 alone, boosting household income by $5.7 billion. It also contributed about $3.5 billion in tax revenues at the local, state, and federal levels.[6] On the other hand, in 2010, the industry received $6.646 billion in federal support, not counting state and local support.[7]

Based upon average U.S. corn yields for the years 2007 through 2012,[8] conversion of the entire US corn crop would yield 34.4 billion gallons of ethanol which is approximately 25% of 2012 finished motor fuel demand.[9]

  1. ^ "Global Ethanol Production". Renewable Fuels Association. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SusEthanol was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference MTBE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Woodgas used as alternative energy to fuel cars and truck". Woodgas.net. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  5. ^ "The craze for maize", The Economist, May 12, 2007, pp.33-34
  6. ^ Worldwatch Institute and Center for American Progress (2006). American energy: The renewable path to energy security
  7. ^ "Direct Federal Financial Interventions and Subsidies in Energy in Fiscal Year 2010". Energy Information Administration. August 1, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  8. ^ "NASS - Charts and Maps - Field Crops". Nass.usda.gov. 2005-12-05. Archived from the original on 2006-09-24. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  9. ^ "U.S. Product Supplied for Crude Oil and Petroleum Products". Eia.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-22.