MIT Life Cycle Analysis Looks Into Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn Ethanol

A report from the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) presents a new analysis on the benefits of corn-based ethanol with respect to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Among the findings of the study are: (1) a gallon of corn-ethanol can displace 0.67 gallon of petroleum, assuming a similar in-use efficiency, (2) ethanol-blended fuels showed lower greenhouse gas emissions, only if “co-product credits” are considered. (“co-product credits” can be seen as deductible energy savings associated with by-products that can be obtained from ethanol production), (3) corn-ethanol for transport fuel is seen as a “stepping stone” to the future scenario of cellulosic-ethanol for transport fuel.

A related MIT news article (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/ethanol.html), mentions that the energy balance of corn ethanol is presently so close (compared to fossil fuels), that several factors can easily tip the scale for corn-ethanol being an energy beneficial alternative or not.