# Bioethanol: Production route

Sugar versus starch: two ways to the same alcohol

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/routes/

What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.

All fuel ethanol is fermented; the routes differ in the sugar source. Sugar crops give fermentable sugar directly and burn their own bagasse for energy, so cane ethanol has low fossil inputs. Starch crops need milling and enzymes and use gas or coal for heat, but sell high-protein feed. India runs a mixed system: sugar mills divert cane juice, B-heavy and C-heavy molasses, while standalone grain distilleries use maize, FCI rice and damaged grain. Cellulosic (2G) ethanol from straw and bagasse works technically but remains small and costly.

#### Routes compared

| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Maize dry-grind (US, Brazil, India, EU)** | about 55-60% of world fuel ethanol (indicative, basis: US 52% plus Brazil and India maize) | about 2.9 t maize per t ethanol (US yield about 2.9 gal per 56-lb bushel, about 430 L per t maize); natural gas about 7-9 GJ per t (indicative) | 100-500 million gallons a year (US), 100-500 kilolitres a day (India) | about 0.34 t ethanol and 0.27-0.30 t DDGS per t maize (derived from maize tile norms) | DDGS, distillers corn oil, CO2 | feed is 70-80% of cost; at Rs 2,400 per quintal maize MSP the grain alone is about Rs 56-63 per litre at 380-430 litres per t, before DDGS credit (derived, indicative) |
| **Sugarcane juice and molasses (Brazil, India, Thailand)** | about 30% of world fuel ethanol (indicative) | about 15-18 t cane per t ethanol from juice; about 4 t B-heavy or 5.5-6 t C-heavy molasses per t (indicative) | Brazilian mills 2-6 Mt cane a year; Indian molasses distilleries 100-500 KLPD | about 70-85 litres per t cane from juice (indicative) | bagasse power, vinasse (potash-rich), CO2, press mud | India's administered prices for ESY 2025-26: Rs 65.61 per litre juice, Rs 60.73 B-heavy, Rs 57.97 C-heavy (sugar tile) |
| **Rice and other grains (India, China, EU wheat)** | about 30% of India's ESY 2025-26 supply to August (FCI rice plus damaged grain, 278 of 895 crore litres) | about 2.7-2.8 t rice per t ethanol (indicative, about 450-470 L per t rice) | 100-500 KLPD | high starch, so slightly more ethanol per t than maize (indicative) | rice DDGS | procurement price Rs 60.32 per litre for FCI-rice ethanol (ThePrint, Oct 2026) |
| **Cellulosic (2G) ethanol from straw and bagasse** | well under 1% (indicative) | about 3.5-5 t dry biomass per t ethanol (indicative) | 30-100 million litres a year | low, enzyme-limited | lignin for boiler fuel | well above 1G ethanol (indicative) |

#### How each route works
**Maize dry-grind (US, Brazil, India, EU)**

Whole maize is ground, cooked with enzymes to glucose, fermented and distilled. The stillage is dried into DDGS feed; corn oil is extracted; CO2 is sold or captured.

scalable, feed co-product; fossil heat and N2O from farming, food-versus-fuel tension
 maize tile; Cabinet MSP May 2026; indicative **Sugarcane juice and molasses (Brazil, India, Thailand)**

Cane is crushed; juice or syrup is fermented directly, or sugar is made first and the leftover B-heavy or C-heavy molasses is fermented. Bagasse supplies steam and power. Brazil's flex mills choose the sugar-ethanol mix each season.

lowest life-cycle emissions; seasonal, water-hungry, competes with sugar exports
 sugar tile; indicative **Rice and other grains (India, China, EU wheat)**

Same dry-grind process as maize. India sold 6.35 Mt of surplus FCI rice to distilleries between June 2025 and June 2026 for Rs 14,597 crore, about Rs 23 per kg, roughly 40% below acquisition cost (rice tile).

uses surplus stocks; depends on subsidised grain and FCI stock policy
 rice tile; ThePrint Oct 2026; Autocar Pro Sep 2026 **Cellulosic (2G) ethanol from straw and bagasse**

Pre-treatment and enzymes break cellulose into sugars, which are fermented. Raízen runs 2G plants on bagasse in Brazil; Indian Oil's Panipat plant uses rice straw (indicative).

uses residues, cuts stubble burning; high capex and enzyme cost
 indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/index.md)
- [Energy overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/energy/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/correlation/index.md)
- [Efficiency](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/efficiency/index.md)
- [Techniques](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/techniques/index.md)
- [Resources and labour](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/resources/index.md)
- [Impact on the biosphere](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/biosphere/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/overview/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/bioethanol/links/index.md)