Biofuels Media Kit

This media kit has been compiled to provide members of the press with information on biofuels issues. It is being provided as an informational tool to use in reporting the potential that biofuels play in developing a sustainable, secure, and wide-ranging energy portfolio to fuel our nation's future energy needs.

Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

Reports

Reports, studies, and presentations put out by DOE, EERE, and other sources.

DOE and EERE Reports

2001 Net Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol (PDF 44 KB)
Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply. From the DOE and the USDA. (PDF 5.8 MB)
Ethanol: The Complete Energy Lifecycle Picture (PDF 6.4 MB)

Reports from Outside Organizations

Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States. From the Renewable Fuels Association. (PDF 235 KB)
Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Expanded Renewable and Alternative Fuel Use. From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Transportation and Air Quality. (PDF 86 KB)
Well-to-Wheels Analysis of Advanced Fuel/Vehicle Systems. From General Motors, Air Improvement Resource, and DOE's Argonne National Laboratory. (PDF 4.4 MB)

Charts and Maps

Charts and maps that contain information about biofuels.

50 Years of Corn Production from 1957 to 2007. From the USDA and Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (MS Word 35 KB)
Map of Major DOE Biofuels Project Locations (PDF 32 KB)
Small Scale Biorefineries: Project Overview (PDF 32 KB)

Graphs

Graphs produced by EERE to illustrate key points about biofuels.

Bar graph that shows the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced in the production and consumption of various fuels. Compared to gasoline, corn ethanol produces an average of 19% less greenhouse gas emissions, which can be reduced to 28% if natural gas is used to produce the ethanol, and 52% if biomass is used to produce it. Meanwhile, if biomass is used to produce the fuel, producing sugarcane ethanol uses an average of 78% less greenhouse gasses and cellulosic ethanol produces an average of 86% fewer. Source: Wang et al, Environmental Research Letters, May 2007.

Graph that shows how greenhouse gas production can be reduced by using alternative fuels. If natural gas or biomass is used to produce corn, sugarcane, or cellulosic ethanol, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced significantly.

This graph shows how much fossil energy is required to provide 1 BTU of each fuel at the pump. The graph does not reflect energy derived from solar or other renewable sources used in the production of ethanol.

Graph that shows how much fossil energy is required to provide 1 BTU of each fuel at the pump. The graph does not reflect energy derived from solar or other renewable sources used in the production of ethanol.

Graph that shows how the use of ethanol affects the octane rating of race cars in the Indy Racing League. The graph shows octane ratings of 87 for regular unleaded gasoline, 93 for premium unleaded, 105 for E85, and 113 for pure ethanol.

Graph that shows how octane ratings are affected by the use of ethanol fuels.

Additional Resources

For more information about biofuels, see the following sites:

Contacts

John Horst
U.S. Department of Energy, Golden Field Office
1617 Cole Boulevard
Golden, Colorado 80401
Phone: 303-275-4709
E-mail: john.horst@go.doe.gov

Chris Powers
U.S. Department of Energy, Golden Field Office
1617 Cole Boulevard
Golden, Colorado 80401
Phone: 303-275-4742
Email: christopher.powers@go.doe.gov

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