Sugarcane ethanol is more efficient and predictable than corn-based ethanol due to its higher energy output, easier production process, and more stable harvest cycle. Sugarcane also has a higher energy balance and can be harvested up to seven times before replanting. Both types of ethanol have similar effects on automobile engines.
The benefits of sugarcane ethanol are very obvious, especially when compared to corn-based ethanol. Sugarcane is capable of producing much more energy, pound for pound, than corn, in part because it’s easier to make ethanol from sugarcane. Corn requires additional enzymes, adding more steps and cost to the process. Sugarcane offers other benefits as well.
While corn is often grown under variable conditions, which makes it difficult to determine how much will be available year-to-year, especially for individual corn-based ethanol plants, sugarcane ethanol is much more predictable. The sugar crop, in the part of the world where it is converted to ethanol, remains relatively stable year-over-year in contrast to crops grown in the US Corn Belt. While the Midwestern region of the United States offers some of the most fertile soil in the world, many other things can affect the corn crop. Pests, droughts, floods, and even high winds can wreak havoc on corn. While the same could be said of sugar cane, the storm appears to be weathering a little better.
Another benefit of sugarcane ethanol is its harvest cycle. Corn is planted every year, usually in the spring, then harvested in the fall. There is only one crop per planting cycle. However, sugarcane offers the benefit of, in some cases, up to seven harvests before replanting is needed. Therefore, it can be much more energy and cheaper to produce ethanol from sugar cane.
These factors can make a big difference for a variety of reasons. Sugarcane is able to reach processing plants more consistently and predictably. There is no reason for a sugarcane ethanol plant to worry that a producer will no longer be able to meet its contractual obligations. While this may also be true of corn most of the time, there will be years when it isn’t even true.
The energy balance, the amount of energy input relative to energy output, is also substantially higher for sugarcane ethanol than for corn ethanol. For every unit of energy input into corn ethanol production, 1.3 units are created. For every unit of energy used to make sugarcane ethanol, eight units are created. This offers yet another competitive advantage for sugar.
It should be noted that, as far as gasoline additives are concerned, ethanol products, whether they are from sugar or corn, are very similar to the way they react in automobile engines. By the time it reaches the car, it has been perfected to a point where its origins are irrelevant. The only relevant part is the cost and energy benefit deriving from its production. Whether it’s corn or sugarcane, ethanol provides a cleaner, higher-octane gasoline. Like biodiesel, it is also a renewable source of fuel.
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