The largest outlet for ethanol is a fuel, gasoline extender and oxygenate additive to gasoline. Ethanol also has other uses such as a solvent, the manufacture of a number of chemical intermediates, and as an additive to food and beverages.
Fuel-grade ethanol or bio-ethanol is made from the fermentation of corn or sugar cane although other feedstocks such as sugar beat, grains and other carbohydrates can be used. Second generation processes are being developed to use grasses, straw, and wood and agricultural wastes.
In Europe, ethanol is blended directly into gasoline but is also used to make ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE), a gasoline oxygenate and extender. Some European methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) manufacturers have the flexibility to produce both MTBE and ETBE.
The US is the world’s largest producer of bio-ethanol with most of its ethanol produced from corn. Most cars in the US can run on blends of up to 10% ethanol.
Brazil is the second largest producer but produces its bio-ethanol from sugar cane. Many of Brazil’s light vehicles are flexible fuel vehicles that can run on any proportion of gasoline and ethanol. Brazil has started manufacturing polyethylene (PE) from ethylene made from bio-ethanol.