Ethanol

The Kansas Department of Agriculture conducted a pilot project throughout 2008 that allowed fuel stations to use blender pumps to dispense gasoline mixed with ethanol at rates ranging from 10 percent to 85 percent.  Data collected through the pilot project verified that blender pumps can consistently and accurately dispense a range of ethanol blends based on selections made by the consumer at the pump  The project was made permanent in January 2009.  To learn more, see the Guidelines for Blending Flex Fuels.

Facts About Ethanol

Ethanol is a clean-burning, domestically produced fuel usually made with corn or sorghum. Ethanol production and consumption benefit Kansas agriculture, the Kansas workforce, the economy and the environment. Ethanol is most often found in E10 (10 percent ethanol and 90 percent regular gasoline) or E85 (85 percent ethanol) blends.

Flexible fuel vehicles, which can run on regular gasoline and mixtures up to 85 percent ethanol, are now available from all American automakers. There are more than five million flexible fuel vehicles on the roads now. Having more flexible fuel vehicles in service means we need more E85 fueling stations. The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition keeps an online list of E85 refueling locations in Kansas and across the United States.

The energy balance of ethanol, according to the most recent USDA and Department of Energy studies, is between 1 to 1.35 and 1 to 1.67. That means that ethanol produces more energy than is used to produce the fuel. Continued efficiencies in agriculture and ethanol processing have been steadily improving that positive net energy ratio. It is good to remember that energy is used to harvest other forms of energy, such as oil, too. To learn more, read USDA’s study, “The 2001 Net Energy Balance of Corn-Ethanol.”

Governors’ Ethanol Coalition

Governor Kathleen Sebelius chaired the 37-state Governors’ Ethanol Coalition in 2006.  Members of the GEC have a long-term vision for renewable fuels, not just ethanol but also biodiesel and the promise of other fuels made from biomass, such as corn stover, switchgrass, or even manure from feedlots.

Department employees have driven the GEC E85 Tahoe provided in a no-cost lease from General Motors some 40,000 miles across the state to highlight ethanol use. Events have included the groundbreaking for a new 110 million gallon plant in Garden City and the opening of the plant in Phillipsburg.

Watch for the E85 Tahoe

Kansas and some other members of the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition are taking advantage of a one-year, no-cost lease of an E85 vehicle offered by General Motors to help highlight E85 and flexible fuel vehicles. Watch for the Tahoe at events across Kansas. If you want the E85 Tahoe at an event, contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture at (785) 296-3902. You can learn more about the E85 Tahoe and ethanol production in Kansas by reading the fact sheet Fueled by Kansas Farmers.

Teaching Children About Ethanol

The Governors’ Ethanol Coalition helped create a teaching packet with information and activities designed to teach students in grades 4 through 12 about ethanol as a transportation fuel. Transportation Fuels: Ethanol is available on the coalition’s website.

Fueled by Kansas Farmers

Ethanol production in Kansas is increasing. Kansas corn and grain sorghum are the primary grain sources for up to 504.5 million gallons of ethanol produced in Kansas each year. There are now 13 dry mill ethanol plants in Kansas and more are proposed to be built.

  • Kansas Ethanol LLC, Lyons, has the capacity to produce 55 million gallons of ethanol a year from 19.6 million bushels of grain.
  • Nesika Energy LLC, Scandia, has the capacity to produce 10 million gallons of ethanol a year from 3.6 million bushels of grain.  
  • Arkalon Energy, Hayne, has the capacity to produce 110 million gallons of ethanol a year from 39 million bushels of grain.
  • Gateway Ethanol, Pratt, has the capacity to produce 55 million gallons of ethanol a year from 19.6 million bushels of grain.
  • Bonanza Bioenergy, Garden City, has the capacity to produce 55 million gallons of ethanol a year from 19.6 million bushels of grain.
  • U.S. Energy Partners, Russell, has the capacity to produce 48 million gallons of ethanol a year from 17.2 million bushels of grain.
  • Prairie Horizon AgriEnergy, Phillipsburg, has the capacity to produce 40 million gallons of ethanol a year from 14.3 million bushels of grain.
  • Western Plains Energy, Campus, has the capacity to produce 45 million gallons of ethanol a year from 16.1 million bushels of grain.
  • East Kansas Agri Energy, Garnett, has the capacity to produce 35 million gallons of ethanol a year from 12.5 million bushels of grain.
  • Abengoa Bio-Energy, Colwich, has the capacity to produce 25 million gallons of ethanol a year from 8.9 million bushels of grain.
  • Reeve Agri-Energy, Garden City, has the capacity to produce 15 million gallons of ethanol a year from 5.4 million bushels of grain.
  • MGP Ingredients, Atchison, has the capacity to produce 10 million gallons of ethanol a year from 3.6 million bushels of grain.
  • ESE Alcohol, Leoti, has the capaicty to produce 1.5 million gallons of ethanol a year from 500,000 bushels of grain.  

Ethanol plants increase the price paid for corn and sorghum raised by local farmers. The plants also provide jobs and related economic activity in rural communities. Many plants are farmer-owned and contribute substantial revenue to local areas. Byproducts from ethanol plants are used for animal feed and carbon dioxide is recovered for use as a crop nutrient or in oil recovery.

You can learn more about Kansas ethanol from the Kansas Grains website.