Ethanol is commonly used as a solvent, popularly consumed in alcoholic beverages, and blended with gasoline as a fuel. Demand for ethanol in the United States is over 5000 million gallons per year. Ninety five percent of all ethanol produced in the U.S. derives from corn feedstock using fermentation techniques by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ethanol can be blended in gasoline usually in E10 or E85. Conventional engines can support the E10 blend (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline); however E85 requires modified engines due to its corrosive nature. In Brazil bio-based production of ethanol provides 80% of fuel demand.
The following is an ethanol pathway map. For the biological pathway, organisms which carry out the pathway are given above, but other organisms may also carry out this biochemistry. Follow the links for more information on compounds or reactions. |
