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Ethanol

Starch- and Sugar-Based Ethanol Feedstock Logistics

The United States has well-established systems for harvesting, transporting, storing, and processing traditional agricultural products. Major crops include corn, wheat, and soybeans. Additional logistical systems have evolved to support the current ethanol industry that uses starch- and sugar-based feedstocks, predominantly corn. To date, these systems have kept pace with the rapid expansion of ethanol production. Increasingly ambitious U.S. ethanol production goals will require additional logistical support, including enhanced cellulosic ethanol feedstock logistics.

Transportation is one logistical element being affected substantially by increased starch- and sugar-based ethanol production. Not only must more trucks, trains, and barges be employed to transport ethanol-related feedstocks and products, but also increased use of food crops for ethanol changes patterns of agricultural transportation.

To learn more about agricultural transportation in general, see the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service's Agricultural Transportation: An Overview (PDF 10 MB). Download Adobe Reader. To learn about the effect of ethanol production and distribution on the entire agricultural transportation system, see the Ethanol Transportation Backgrounder (PDF 1.2 MB). Download Adobe Reader. Also see Percent of U.S. Ethanol-Related Materials Transported by Mode, 2005 (Excel 17 KB) from the AFDC's Data, Analysis & Trends pages.

Graph describing the Percent of U.S. Ethanol-Related Materials Transported by Mode, 2005. Ethanol is transported about 10% by barge, 60% by rail, and 30% by truck. Feedstocks are transported almost exclusively by truck, with only about 2% by rail. Distiller’s Dry Grains with Solubles (DDGS - an Ethanol Co-Product) is transported more than 80% by truck, about 17% by rail, and only minimally by barge.

Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, 2007 (Excel 17 KB)