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Ethanol

Ethanol Production

Ethanol Production Facilities Map (PDF 216 KB) Download Adobe Reader

Today, U.S. ethanol is primarily produced from starch- and sugar-based crops by dry-mill or wet-mill processing. Cellulosic ethanol has not yet been produced commercially. However, several commercial cellulosic ethanol production plants are under construction, and intensive research and development is rapidly advancing the state of cellulosic ethanol technology.

A graph showing world ethanol production for 2006. USA: 5,000 million gallons, Brazil: 4,500 million gallons, Europe: 1,200 million gallons, China: 1,000 million gallons, Other Asia: 900 million gallons, Other North and Central America: 400 million gallons, Other South America: 300 million gallons, Africa: 200 million gallons, Oceania: 100 million gallons.

Source: Renewable Fuels Association, 2007 (Excel 21 KB)

Choose from the links below to learn more about ethanol production.

Starch- and Sugar-Based Ethanol Production 


Cellulosic Ethanol Production