Ethanol

ETHANOL

Ethanol is a chemical produced by the fermentation of sugars found in grains and other biomass.

Ethanol can be produced from a number of different types of grains, such as corn, wheat, and sorghum, as well as from agricultural waste products such as rice hulls, cheese whey, potato waste, brewery and beverage wastes, and forestry and paper wastes. At present, the majority of ethanol in the U.S. is produced from corn because corn contains large quantities of carbohydrates and is in greater supply than other grains. Such carbohydrates convert into glucose more easily than most other kinds of biomass.