Bioethanol: Feedstocks
Why the crop decides most of an ethanol plant's fate
Why the crop decides most of an ethanol plant's fate What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Feedstock is 60-80% of ethanol cost, so producers sit where sugar or starch is cheap and surplus. US Midwest maize, Brazilian cane and corn, and India's subsidised rice and administered cane prices each set a different cost base. Policy decides which feedstock India may use each year.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mz Maize | about 2.9 t per t ethanol | starch source; main US and Indian feedstock | about 70-80% of cash cost (indicative) | maize tile; indicative |
| Su Sugar | about 15-18 t cane, or 4-6 t molasses per t ethanol (indicative) | fermentable sugar; Brazil and part of India | about 70-80% (indicative) | sugar tile; indicative |
| Ri Rice | about 2.7-2.8 t per t ethanol (indicative) | starch source in India | FCI rice sold at about Rs 23 per kg (rice tile) | rice tile |
| Gas Natural gas | about 7-9 GJ per t for grain plants (indicative) | cooking, distillation, drying DDGS | about 5-10% (indicative) | indicative |
| Enzymes and yeast | small | starch hydrolysis and fermentation | about 3-5% (indicative) | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
US dry mills and Brazilian cane mills are the lowest-cost producers because maize and cane are cheap and co-products (DDGS, bagasse power) offset cost. Indian grain distillers depend on administered prices (Rs 68.86 per litre for maize ethanol in 2026-27) and subsidised FCI rice; EU producers are higher cost and rely on mandates and duties.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Su SugarMz MaizeRi RiceWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| C2H4 Ethylene | bio-ethylene by dehydration, about 1.7 t ethanol per t |
| bPE Bio-based polyethylene and MEG | Braskem bio-PE and India Glycols bio-MEG run on ethanol |
| HVO Renewable diesel and SAF | alcohol-to-jet is an emerging SAF route |
| Srf Surfactants | bio-EO ethoxylates via ethanol-based ethylene |