A third of U.S. corn is used to produce ethanol

Corn is used in hand sanitizer, soft drinks and plastic. But now, more than half of the corn produced in the U.S. is turned into biofuel or alcohol, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

In the 1990s, a larger share of the nation’s corn crop went into sweeteners, such as high-fructose corn syrup, than into ethanol or alcohol. But that changed in the mid-2000s after Congress enacted the Renewable Fuel Standard, which included a mandate to mix gasoline with corn-based fuel.

After the new policy went into effect, the amount of corn devoted to biofuels skyrocketed. Since then, about a third of all U.S. corn has been used for ethanol.

Recent research has indicated ethanol might be worse for the environment than plain gasoline. The ethanol industry called the research “completely fictional.”

The USDA divides the corn harvest into roughly three uses: 1) ethanol, 2) animal feed, and 3) products for human consumption, such as alcohol, artificial sweeteners or chips.

Tags: animal feed, alcohol, corn-based fuel, sweeteners, corn, U.S., biofuel