"A newly published report (“Improvements in Life Cycle Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn Ethanol”) in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, a highly respected journal for research on life cycle analysis of industrial and agricultural systems, concludes America’s ethanol industry is energy efficient and doing its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 48% to 59% compared to gasoline....
The report also found that the eight corn-ethanol scenarios had net energy ratio (NER) values from 1.29 to 2.23, meaning ethanol returned 29 to 123 percent more energy than was required for its production.
Other key findings of the report include:
• Ethanol-to-petroleum output:input ratios were 10:1 to 13:1 for today’s typical corn-ethanol systems but could increase to 19:1 with progressive crop management that increases both yield and input use efficiency.
A closed-loop biorefinery with an anaerobic digestion system reduces GHG emission by 67% and increases the net energy ratio to 2.2. Such improved performance moves corn-ethanol much closer to the hypothetical estimates for cellulosic biofuels.
• These results suggest that corn-ethanol systems have substantially greater potential to mitigate GHG emissions and reduce dependence on imported petroleum for transportation fuels than reported previously."
http://www.grainnet.com/article.php?ID=69868
The report also found that the eight corn-ethanol scenarios had net energy ratio (NER) values from 1.29 to 2.23, meaning ethanol returned 29 to 123 percent more energy than was required for its production.
Other key findings of the report include:
• Ethanol-to-petroleum output:input ratios were 10:1 to 13:1 for today’s typical corn-ethanol systems but could increase to 19:1 with progressive crop management that increases both yield and input use efficiency.
A closed-loop biorefinery with an anaerobic digestion system reduces GHG emission by 67% and increases the net energy ratio to 2.2. Such improved performance moves corn-ethanol much closer to the hypothetical estimates for cellulosic biofuels.
• These results suggest that corn-ethanol systems have substantially greater potential to mitigate GHG emissions and reduce dependence on imported petroleum for transportation fuels than reported previously."
http://www.grainnet.com/article.php?ID=69868