As productivity on the farm and in the ethanol plants increases, it is critical to understand the net impact of corn ethanol on the corn supply. Many believe that so-called “energy crops” such as switchgrass would be infinitely better for the environment than corn-based ethanol. Others contend that sugarcane is the “magic” feedstock given its high yield and low energy inputs. But for these non-food feedstocks, the story is one-dimensional. They produce no food ingredients or animal feed, so their value stops abruptly at ethanol production —and as such, their net value is considerably less than corn-based ethanol. (Fig. 2)
While “energy crops” hold great promise, they have not been grown or harvested in commercial quantities. There are numerous issues that may arise relative to relying on them for energy utilization including storage, transportation, ethanol yield and overall logistics and marketing challenges yet to be addressed.
Source: ICM - Rethinking the Value of Corn Ethanol Co-Products in Lifecycle Assessments” White Paper