How much corn needed to make ethanol?
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.
One bushel of corn produces approximately 2.8 gallons of ethanol and 18 pounds of distillers grains.
Each year, one acre of corn produces 551 gallons of ethanol, which is the equivalent of 386 gallons of gas. Using the average miles per gallon of a US automobile, this equates to 9,691 miles driven per acre of corn per year.
However, the largest portion of the total energy present in corn is solar energy captured by the corn plant and stored in the grain as starch. When these amounts are totaled, the energy in the ethanol exceeds the fossil fuel energy used to grow and process the corn by 20 to 40%.
| Product | Gallons of water |
|---|---|
| 1 gal. of gasoline | 2 to 2.5 |
| 1 gallon of ethanol | 3 |
| 1 can of fruit | 9.3 |
| 1 gallon of paint | 13 |
We conclude that the ethanol industry, on average, uses 53,956 BTUs per gallon to manufacture ethanol. The best existing plants use 37,883 BTUs per gallon. Next generation plants will require only 33,183 BTUs per gallon of ethanol produced.
Adjusting for this yields the figure below, which shows that ethanol in gasoline equivalent gallons is rarely cheaper than gasoline, typically 5% of the time.
For a 5 gallon mash: (201)
7 lbs (3.2kg) cracked corn. 6-8 pieces/kernel is the proper crack. If using bird feed, make sure it is perishable, or in other words is free of preservatives. 7 lbs (3.2kg) of granulated sugar.
Assuming total ethanol production for the U.S. was 15 billion gallons in 2021, total (pre-tax) profit for all operating ethanol plants is estimated to be $5.1 billion.
Ethanol is a domestically produced alternative fuel most commonly made from corn. It is also made from cellulosic feedstocks, such as crop residues and wood—though this is not as common. U.S. ethanol plants are concentrated in the Midwest because of the proximity to corn production.
Is corn ethanol more expensive than gasoline?
Adding more ethanol to gasoline blends could potentially reduce prices at U.S. gas pumps because ethanol, which is made from corn, is currently cheaper than straight gasoline.
Ethanol production costs were estimated at $3.48 per gallon using raw sugar as a feedstock and were estimated at $3.97 per gallon using refined sugar. For these feedstocks, feedstock costs accounted for more than 80 percent of the total estimated ethanol production cost.
Production of corn-ethanol is energy efficient, in that it yields 34 percent more energy than it takes to produce it, including growing the corn, harvesting it, transporting it, and distilling it into ethanol.
The best-fit equations for corn were DE (MJ/kg DM) = 20.18 − 0.76 × EE (%) and ME (MJ/kg DM) = 5.74 + 1.11 × DE (MJ/kg DM) − 0.33 × CP (%) − 0.07 × SCHO (%).
The corn mash is transferred to fermentation tanks and is mixed with yeast and allowed to ferment for 40 to 50 hours, which changes the sugar to ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Pure ethanol – 100% ethanol or E100 – could theoretically be used to power cars, but generally isn't, for numerous reasons: Ethanol is bad for cold-starting, because it doesn't burn as quickly as gasoline. (It has a higher octane, if you're interested.) Pure ethanol would be useless as fuel in the winter months.
Corn ethanol consumes 10 to 324 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol (the range is due to different irrigation requirements), gasoline consumes 3.4 to 6.6 gallons, and switchgrass consumes 1.9 to 9.8 gallons (the range is due to different production technologies).
Ethanol contains about one-third less energy than gasoline. So, vehicles will typically go 3% to 4% fewer miles per gallon on E10 and 4% to 5% fewer on E15 than on 100% gasoline.
Average ethanol yields estimated to be 450 gallons per acre at a conversion rate of 79 gallons per U.S. ton.
While E85 is typically cheaper per gallon than gasoline it might be more expensive per mile. Since ethanol contains less energy per volume than gasoline, FFVs will generally get 15%-27% fewer miles per gallon when fueled with E85, depending on the car and the driver's driving habits.
Can you eat ethanol corn?
Myth No.
False. Only 1 percent of all corn grown in this country is eaten by humans. The rest is No. 2 yellow field corn, which is indigestible to humans and used in animal feed, food supplements and ethanol.
The most recent DOE study , published by Argonne National Laboratory in 2021, found that U.S. corn ethanol has 44%–52% lower GHG emissions than gasoline.
The big problem is energy density – a gallon of ethanol has only two-thirds the energy density of pure gasoline.
The Biden administration has set new requirements that increase the amount of ethanol that must be blended into the nation's gasoline supply. June 3, 2022, at 6:03 p.m.
Our favorite type of corn to be used in moonshine is cracked, dry yellow corn. This type of corn is considered field corn and it needs to be clean and food-grade. It is recommended to use air dried corn rather than gas dried.
A 1 gallon run will yield 3-6 cups of alcohol. A 5 gallon run will yield 1-2 gallons of alcohol. A 8 gallon run will yield 1.5-3 gallons of alcohol. A 10 gallon run will yield 2-4 gallons of alcohol.
Fermentation. Store the mash to ferment for 1-2 weeks at room temperature. Temperature is important if it gets too cold the fermentation can stop because the yeast goes dormant.
Poet Biorefining is the largest ethanol producer in the United States. As of December 2021, the South Dakota-based company has an ethanol production capacity of 2.7 billion gallons per annum across 33 plants in the Midwest. Ethanol is used in the chemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, and as a motor fuel additive.
Usina São Martinho in Pradópolis Brazil – the largest sugar-ethanol plant in operation in the world – has achieved Bonsucro certification. Founded in 1948, the mill has an approximate crush capacity of 10 million tonnes of sugarcane each harvest.
In the United States, 94% of ethanol is produced from the starch in corn grain. Energy is required to turn any raw feedstock into ethanol.
What crop might be better than corn for making ethanol?
New research from the University of Illinois shows producing ethanol from grasses rather than corn could significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. without affecting food production. The grasses -- Miscanthus and switchgrass -- grow year-after-year without replanting and require less fertilizer than corn.
However, most cars don't run on pure ethanol – in fact, running on higher than 15-20% ethanol concentration can cause engine damage because the engine has to be adjusted to account for the differing combustion property of that concentration.
E10 is gasoline with 10% ethanol content. E15 is gasoline with 15% ethanol content, and E85 is a fuel that may contain up to 85% fuel ethanol. The ethanol content of most of the motor gasoline sold in the United States does not exceed 10% by volume.
Corn-based ethanol emissions have been criticized by many; large-scale agriculture produces 2.5% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers used to increase corn yields are responsible for 86% of the agricultural sector's emissions17 .
The process to harvest and produce corn-based ethanol creates more harmful emissions than normal gasoline, according to a new report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
E-Fuel explains that it takes about 10-14 pounds of sugar to make one gallon of ethanol.
One ton of potato or PPW can be produced 25.40 to 29.72 US gallons of bioethanol [34,12, 35] .
The United States is the world's largest producer of ethanol, having produced over 15 billion gallons in 2021. Together, the United States and Brazil produce 82% of the world's ethanol. The vast majority of U.S. ethanol is produced from corn, while Brazil primarily uses sugarcane.
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.
Corn Results in Excessive Nitrogen and Phosphorus Runoff: The EPA has stated that, “nu*trient pollution is one of America's most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems, and is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water.” When nitrogen and phosphorous flow in excess into our ...
What percent of corn production goes to ethanol?
Much of this growth in area and production is a result of expanding ethanol production, which now accounts for nearly 45 percent of total corn use.
Corn weighs 56 pounds/bushel and has a heat value when dried to 15% moisture content of about 7,000 Btu/lb or 300,000 Btu/bu. In other words, assuming a furnace or boiler efficiency of 75%, one bushel is equal to 2.9 gallons of #2 fuel oil, 4 ccf of natural gas or 4.4 gallons of propane.
Currently 98 percent of gasoline in the U.S. contains some ethanol, most commonly 10 percent, or E10. For the last decade, ethanol has helped keep corn in high demand, and made it the most-planted U.S. crop. In fact, roughly 40 percent of all corn is now used to make ethanol.
Using the current corn-to-ethanol conversion of 2.8 gallons of ethanol from a bushel of corn, total U.S. corn production could result in approximately 37 billion gallons of ethanol, which would provide approximately 26% of our 137 billion gallon-per-year gasoline consumption (Energy Information Administration).
Starch can be rather easily processed to break it down into simple sugars, which can then be fed to yeast to produce ethanol. Modern ethanol pro- duction can produce approximately 2.7 gallons of fuel ethanol per bushel of corn.
For the 10 gallon batch, this will be 6 lbs of corn and 3 lbs of sweet feed. Set aside until the water reaches 160f. Now you can add the grains and reduce heat to maintain 160f for 45 minutes. Continuously stir the mash to avoid letting the grains scorch on the bottom of the pot.
Base Moonshine Ingredients and Materials:
5 Gallons of Water. 8.5 Pounds of Flaked Corn Maize. 1.5 Pounds of Crushed Malted Barley. Yeast.
Production of corn-ethanol is energy efficient, in that it yields 34 percent more energy than it takes to produce it, including growing the corn, harvesting it, transporting it, and distilling it into ethanol.
Create a simple yeast starter for 5 gallons of mash
Add 2 packets of yeast (14 grams or 1 tablespoon if using bulk yeast).
An 8 Gallon will make about a quart of distillate per hour and you'll end up with about a gallon to a gallon and a half of product when finished. The 13 will work at the same output (a quart an hour) but end up producing around two gallons to two and a half gallons.
Can you use whole corn for moonshine?
You can use any form of corn; I've used flaked maize and grits/polenta (basically the same thing; I avoid instant-anything).
If you want to increase the strength of your Moonshine, you're going to need to purchase various ugprades from the Moonshiner Store. This store can be access by talking to Maggie from inside your Moonshine Shack. To find the equipment, head to the Upgrades area of the store.
Most standard distillation runs will yield about: 3 - 6 cups of alcohol from a 1 gallon copper still. 1/2 - 1 gallon of alcohol from a 2.5 gallon copper still. 1 - 2 gallons of alcohol from a 5 gallon copper still.
Legal requirements. Corn whiskey is made from a mash of at least 80 percent corn and distilled to a maximum strength of 160 proof (80% alcohol by volume).
Heat 5 gallons of mash water up to 165F. Turn off heat when target temperature is reached and stir in the 8.5 pounds of corn. Stir the mash continuously for about 5 minutes then stir for a few seconds every five minutes until the temperature drops to 152F.
Answer and Explanation: Ethanol produce from corn is not a sustainable option because the increase cost of having to compete with food and gas prices. Since corn is also a food crop, the production of corn that is diverted to fuel production will increase the price of corn food.
Uniting water, carbon dioxide, and electricity in the presence of the right copper catalyst could lead to a more sustainable way to produce this useful fuel additive.
