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.
Why is corn not ideal for biofuels?
The main issue with corn used for biofuels (bioethanol) is because such renewable biofuels carry important economic and environmental issues . ... Corn ethanol is a type of ethanol produced from corn, where the crop is used to produce the biomass. The production method involves ethanol fermentation and distillation.
Is it ethical to grow corn for fuel?
To grant enormous subsidies for biofuel production is morally unacceptable and irresponsible .” Even as growing quantities of corn and other grains are being diverted for use as biofuel feedstocks, newly affluent people—mainly in Asia—are eating more meat and dairy, which puts a further demand on animal feed supplies.
Why corn should be used for food?
— Corn is grown not only for food, it is also an important renewable energy source . ... “The human energy and resource input involved in agriculture production alters the composition of the critical zone, which we are able to convert into a social cost.”
Why corn should be used for 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.
Can corn be used for fuel?
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.
Why is corn ethanol bad?
By driving up the price of food and gas and causing costly engine damage, corn ethanol has been bad news for consumers. ... What’s more, burning corn ethanol in gasoline releases more benzene, a known carcinogen, and other toxic air pollutants that have been linked to asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments.
How much corn does it take to make 1 gallon of 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.
Why do we not use ethanol as fuel?
A gallon of ethanol contains less energy than a gallon of gasoline , resulting in lower fuel economy when operating your vehicle. The impact to fuel economy varies depending on the energy difference in the blend used. ... Ethanol also has a higher octane number than gasoline, which provides increased power and performance.
What is the net production of fuel when corn is used?
Ethanol from corn costs about $1.74 per gallon to produce, compared with about 95 cents to produce a gallon of gasoline. “That helps explain why fossil fuels — not ethanol — are used to produce ethanol,” Pimentel says. “The growers and processors can’t afford to burn ethanol to make ethanol.
How do biofuels affect food supply?
If biofuels are produced from feedstocks that would have been used for food, then biofuels directly reduce potential food supplies . This reduction occurs even if feedstock price increases result in an expansion of supply because the expanded feedstock supply will typically reduce the supply of other food crops.
What are the disadvantages of biofuels?
- High Cost of Production. Even with all the benefits associated with biofuels, they are quite expensive to produce in the current market. ...
- Monoculture. ...
- Use of Fertilizers. ...
- Shortage of Food. ...
- Industrial Pollution. ...
- Water Use. ...
- Future Rise in Price. ...
- Changes in Land Use.
Should bioethanol production from corn be encouraged?
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.
Why should corn be used for ethanol?
Corn (Zea mays) is a popular feedstock for ethanol production in the United States due to its abundance and relative ease of conversion to ethyl alcohol (ethanol) .
Should corn become fuel answers?
Cellulosic ethanol shows the potential to have a significant e ect on fossil fuel use, at least in part because of lower energy inputs to obtain the raw material and convert it into a fuel. Corn should not be used for fuel to any great extent , but it may serve as a stepping-stone to other biofuels.
Is diesel a biofuel?
Biofuels are transportation fuels such as ethanol and biomass-based diesel fuel that are made from biomass materials. These fuels are usually blended with petroleum fuels (gasoline and distillate/diesel fuel and heating oil), but they can also be used on their own.
