Detailed Report: 2008 National Dry Mill Corn Ethanol Survey 

Prepared by: 

Steffen Mueller, PhD 

University of Illinois at Chicago 

Energy Resources Center 

muellers@uic.edu

May 4, 2010 
ii

Table of Contents 

1) Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 

2) Survey Sample Frame..................................................................................................... 2 

3) Survey Instrument........................................................................................................... 2 

4) Survey Variables............................................................................................................. 3 

5) Survey Response Characteristics.................................................................................... 3 

6) Results ............................................................................................................................ 6 

6.1) Energy Use .............................................................................................................. 6 

6.2) Process and Energy Technologies ........................................................................... 6 

6.3) Product Yields ......................................................................................................... 7 

6.3.1) Ethanol Yield.................................................................................................... 7 

6.3.2) Co-Product Yield and Moisture........................................................................ 7 

6.4) Logistics................................................................................................................... 9 

6.4.1) Corn Shipments to the Plants............................................................................ 9 

6.4.2) Ethanol Shipments from the Plants ................................................................ 10 

6.5) Water Use .............................................................................................................. 10 

Appendix A: Advance Letter and E-Vites........................................................................ 12 

Appendix B: Survey Instrument ....................................................................................... 16 

List of Tables 

Table 1: Natural Gas and Electricity Use ........................................................................... 6 

Table 2: Process and Energy Technologies ........................................................................ 7 

Table 3: Ethanol Yield........................................................................................................ 7

Table 4: Co-product moisture content ................................................................................ 7 

Table 5: Cumulative Co-Products....................................................................................... 8 

Table 6: Co-Product Yields per Gallon .............................................................................. 8 

Table 7: Co-Product Diversification................................................................................... 9 

Table 8: Corn Supply Radius............................................................................................ 10 

Table 9: Ethanol Plant Water Use..................................................................................... 10 

Table 10: Improvements to Fresh Water Usage ............................................................... 11 

List of Figures 

Figure 1: Survey Instrument Screen Shot ........................................................................... 3 

Figure 2: Plant Vintage ....................................................................................................... 4

Figure 3: Plant Geography.................................................................................................. 5 

Figure 4: Co-Product Variation .......................................................................................... 9 

Figure 5: Transportation Mode by Plant........................................................................... 10 
iii

Executive Summary 

The Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago has conducted a 

survey of corn ethanol technologies, ethanol and co-product yields, energy use, water use, 

and logistics. The survey focuses on dry mill technologies; recent industry data on wet 

mill plants is available from a survey conducted by the Renewable Fuels Association in 

2007. 

The survey was administered by the Survey Research Laboratory located at the 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The survey responses represent 66% of the 

installed dry mill ethanol capacity during the year 2008. 

The last comprehensive survey of energy consumption at corn ethanol plants dates back 

to 2001. The 2001 survey was conducted by BBI International and it was commissioned 

by the Office of Energy Policy and New Uses, US Department of Agriculture. The 2001 

survey finds that, on average, dry mill plants use 36,000 Btu per gallon and 1.09 kWh per 

gallon of ethanol and produce 2.64 gallons of ethanol per bushel. We find that ethanol 

produced in 2008 requires 28% less thermal energy per gallon and 32.1% less electricity 

per gallon but produces 5.3% more ethanol per bushel. 

On average, a dry-mill corn ethanol plant in 2008 

• utilizes 25,859 Btu/gallon (LHV, anhydrous ethanol) of thermal energy and 0.74 

kWh of electricity per anhydrous gallon of ethanol, 

• produces 2.78 gallons of anhydrous ethanol per bushel, 

• co-produces at once 5.3 lbs of DDGS and 2.15 lbs of WDG as well as 0.006 

gallons of corn oil, 

• uses 2.72 gallons of water per anhydrous gallon of ethanol produced and 

discharges 0.46 gallons of water per anhydrous gallon of ethanol, 

• sources corn for ethanol production within a 47.1 mile radius from the plant, 

• is considering further co-product diversification and installation of efficient water 

use technologies. 
1) Introduction 

The recently enacted California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and the Federal 

Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) require that the greenhouse gas emissions from corn 

ethanol have to be assessed on a full life cycle basis, which includes emissions from 

energy consumed at the ethanol plants. Effective greenhouse gas regulations require 

sound data on the industry’s current performance, which can be established by means of 

surveys, engineering models, or case studies. 

By the end of 2008, a total of 86% of corn ethanol was commercially produced using the 

dry mill process. Dry mills have traditionally produced two co-products: distillers dried 

grain with solubles (DDGS), and wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS). WDGS is 

high in moisture and therefore requires less drying energy but it is sold more locally since 

it has a shorter shelf life and higher transportation costs. Both products enter the animal 

feed market. Literature suggests that over the last three years several plants have started 

to produce a third co-product and separate corn oil for sale for use in biodiesel 

production.1,2

The last comprehensive survey of energy consumption at corn ethanol plants dates back 

to 2001. The 2001 survey was conducted by BBI International and it was commissioned 

by the Office of Energy Policy and New Uses, US Department of Agriculture. The survey 

results are published in Shapouri (2002) in conjunction with an analysis of the life cycle 

greenhouse gas emissions of corn ethanol production.3

 The 2001 survey included 17 dry 

and wet mill plants. Since the 2001 survey there has been a rapid expansion of the dry 

mill corn ethanol market (see graph of plant population in Figure 2). As of December 

2008, there were 11.1 billion gallons of installed ethanol dry mill capacity and 9.27 

billion gallons of operating dry mill capacity in the US.4 The present study provides 

updated industry data in order to inform the emerging regulations. 

The Energy Resources Center (ERC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago has 

conducted a comprehensive dry mill ethanol industry survey. The survey was 

administered by the Survey Research Laboratory (SRL) located at the University of 

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. SRL created a web-based survey instrument, issued secure 

survey links to each respondent, and collected the data. The survey was conducted with 

broad industry support, including the renewable fuels associations from various states 

(Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska), the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, corn growers 

associations (from Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa), as well as both RFA and Growth Energy. 

We would like to thank these organizations for their support. 

 

1

 Nilles D (2008) Corn Oil, Diversity on Industry’s Mind. Ethanol Producer Magazine 2

 Rendleman M, Shapouri H (2007) New Technologies in Ethanol Production. United States Department of 

Agriculture, Agricultural Economic Report 842 

3

 Shapouri H, Duffield J, Wang M (2002) The Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol: An Update. United States 

Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Economic Report 813 

4

 Data provided by the Renewable Fuels Association 
2

2) Survey Sample Frame 

The survey sample frame was compiled from public sources including the Renewable 

Fuels Association’s database of biorefineries (http://www.ethanolrfa.org/industry/locations/) 

with additional input from representatives from Monsanto and the Illinois Corn Growers 

Association. The survey sample frame consisted of the entire population of 150 dry mill 

ethanol plants operating during the 2008 calendar year (plus plants starting up in the 

winter of 2008/2009). 

The selection of the interviewees followed Campbell’s “technique of the informant,” 

meaning that particular effort was placed on selecting a contact person at each plant who 

was well informed about the subject matter.5

 As a result, common titles of the 

interviewees were: Plant Manager, General Manager, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief 

Technology Officer. Each interviewee received an advance letter, followed by an e-vite 

and a reminder e-vite with the link to the actual web-based survey. The letters and e-vites 

are reproduced in Appendix A. 

3) Survey Instrument 

The survey instrument was developed by UIC/Steffen Mueller with primary input from 

RFA, ethanol plant operators, and Michael Wang/May Wu at Argonne National 

Laboratory. The survey instrument was issued to the respondents via a web-based 

template. The Survey Research Laboratory (SRL) located at the University of Illinois at 

Urbana-Champaign created the web-based survey template, issued secure survey links to 

each respondent, and collected the data. Skipping programming of the survey instrument 

allowed for the survey instrument to adjust follow-up questions to submitted answers. A 

pre-test of the survey was performed with a total of three facilities and three additional 

experts from the ethanol industry. The survey included a response facilitator in the form 

of an Amazon.com Gift Code totaling $50 for each respondent. Appendix B includes a 

copy of the survey script. A sample screen shot of the web-based survey instrument is 

shown below. 

 

5

 Campbell, Donald T. “The informant in Quantitative Research”; American Journal of Sociology, 60, pp. 

339-342, 1955. 
3

Figure 1: Survey Instrument Screen Shot 

4) Survey Variables 

The survey instrument was designed to explore a total of six different types of variables 

pertaining to: a) energy technologies (types of thermal feedstocks, energy equipment) 

installed at the ethanol plants; b) energy consumption, both thermal and electricity; 

c) processing technologies (corn oil separation, cold cook, carbon dioxide extraction, 

etc.) employed by plants; d) process yields (for ethanol and co-products) achieved by 

plants; e) logistics (corn, ethanol transport), and f) water use and adopted water efficiency 

measures. 

5) Survey Response Characteristics 

In total, 90 dry mill plants of 150 operating plants during 2008 responded to the survey. 

This represents 6.1 billion gallons of 9.27 billion gallons of operating capacity or a 66% 

response rate. The first test determined whether the plant vintage of responses matched 

the plant vintage of the population. As pointed out in the introduction, the energy 

efficiency of ethanol plants has been consistently increasing over time and plant vintage 

could introduce significant bias. 

The histogram of plant start-ups in Figure 2 confirms that the plant vintage of the 

responses closely matches the plant vintage of the population indicating that plant vintage 

does not introduce a significant survey bias. 

The second test determined whether the geographic location of the responses matched the 

geographic location of the population. Plant location may influence different technologies 

and logistics of the production process (corn is shipped different distances etc.). The 
4

maps in Figure 3 confirm that the plant locations of the responses match the plant 

location of the population indicating that geography does not introduce a significant bias. 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1981

1985

1991

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

Year

Number of Ethanol Plants

Population Survey Responses

Figure 2: Plant Vintage
5

Figure 3: Plant Geography
6

6) Results 

6.1) Energy Use 

Natural gas-fired energy systems are the predominant thermal energy source for dry mill 

ethanol plants. The average natural gas consumption of natural gas-fired ethanol plants 

and their corresponding electricity use is detailed in Table 1. Numbers shown are 

weighted by plant capacity as well as simple average by plant count. 

Three reporting plants use coal. One of the coal plants employs a fluidized bed boiler, 

which consumes 33,157 Btu/gal (HHV, anhydrous) of coal and 0.90 kWh/gal of 

electricity. The second coal plant utilizes waste steam from a nearby coal-fired power 

plant reducing allocated thermal energy and electricity to below 10,000 Btu/gal and 0.65 

kWh/gal respectively. The third coal plant reported coal use but not detailed Btu/gal 

data. Two plants use biomass (gasification, syrup combustion), and one additional plant 

uses landfill gas. With six non-natural gas and 73 natural gas plants reporting, natural gas 

constitutes 92% of thermal energy supply by plant count. 

 

In 2008, the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted a detailed case study on the 

energy consumption of the Illinois River Energy Center, a standard 100 mgpy natural gas 

fired ethanol plant. That plant uses 25,289 Btu/gal (LHV, anhydrous) and 0.71 kWh/gal. 

The survey results match closely to the IRE data. 

Table 1: Natural Gas and Electricity Use 

 All Thermal 

Feedstock Plants 

Natural Gas 

Plants Only 

 (Btu/gal) 

Anhydrous 

(Btu/gal) 

Anhydrous 

Weighted Average (HHV) 28,692 29,118

Average (HHV) 28,590 29,177

STD (HHV) 4,471 3,416

Weighted Average (LHV) 25,859 26,206

N 78 73

 

Weighted Average 0.74 0.73

Average 0.76 0.75

STD 0.24 0.23

N 75 70

6.2) Process and Energy Technologies 

Table 2 below lists process and energy technologies employed by dry mill ethanol plants. 

One of the most significant new process technologies adopted by ethanol plants is 

backend corn oil separation, which accounts for about one third of all surveyed plants. A 

total of 22% of all plants utilize combined heat and power technologies. 
7

Table 2: Process and Energy Technologies 

 Corn 

Fractionation 

Backend Corn Oil 

Separation 

Carbon Dioxide 

Extraction 

Cold Cook 

Process 

Combined Heat 

and Power 

Count 2 23 8 27 17 

% 2.7 30.7 10.5 37.0 22.4 

N 73 75 76 73 76 

6.3) Product Yields 

6.3.1) Ethanol Yield

The ethanol yield reported by plants is summarized in Table 3. The ratio of anhydrous to 

denatured ethanol reveals that denaturant accounted for 2.5% of denatured ethanol by 

volume. As usual, numbers shown are weighted by plant capacity as well as simple 

average by plant count. 

Table 3: Ethanol Yield 

 Ethanol 

Yield: 

Anhydrous 

Ethanol 

Yield: 

Denatured 

Weighted gallons/bushel 2.78 2.85

Avg 2.80 2.87

STD 0.12 0.13

N 77 78

6.3.2) Co-Product Yield and Moisture

a) Moisture

The moisture content reported by ethanol plants is listed in Table 4. The standard 

deviations indicate some variability in reported moisture. Numbers shown are weighted 

by plant capacity as well as simple average by plant count. 

Table 4: Co-product moisture content 

 Moisture 

DDGS 

Moisture 

WDG 

Weighted % 10.8 57.2

Avg 10.8 57.2

STD 0.9 8.3

N 40 29
8

b) Co-Product Yield

Traditionally, dry mill corn ethanol plants produced two co-products: DDGS and WDG. 

Over the last years, a third co-product, corn oil, was added and, as shown above, about 

one third of all plants now also produce corn oil. 

The yields of the three key products that are co-produced with ethanol during dry mill 

operations are further analyzed. The production of these co-products is interrelated: 

producing one product reduces the output of the two other ones. Therefore, for the 

purpose of yield analysis, the data set cannot contain missing values for any product. We 

were able to isolate a total of 53 plants for this analysis. The cumulative products from 

these plants are shown in Table 5. On average each gallon of ethanol results in the coproduction of 5.3 lbs of DDGS and 2.15 lbs of WDG as well as 0.006 gallons of corn oil. 

However, co-products from individual plants vary widely. These variations are illustrated 

in Figure 4, where individual co-product data for 10 plants is shown. For example, Plant 

10 produces 5.73 lbs/gal of DDGS and an additional 0.57 lbs/gal of WDG, but it does not 

separate corn oil, whereas Plant 7 produces 6.14 lbs/gal of DDGS, 0.42 lbs/gal of WDG, 

and separates 0.025 gal/gal of corn oil. 

Table 5: Cumulative Co-Products 

 DDGS 

(tons) 

WDG 

(tons) 

Corn Oil 

(gallons) 

Ethanol Produced 

(gallons) 

8,530,970 3,463,315 19,005,589 3,221,417,924

N 53 53 53 53

Table 6: Co-Product Yields per Gallon 

DDGS 

(lbs/gal) 

WDG 

(lbs/gal) 

Corn Oil 

(gal/gal) 

Weighted Average 5.30 2.15 0.006

N 53 53 53
9

Co-Product Production

0.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

10.00

12.00

14.00

16.00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Plant#

lbs/gal

0.000

0.005

0.010

0.015

0.020

0.025

0.030

gal/gal corn oil

DDGS (lbs/gal)

WDG (lbs/gal)

Corn Oil (gal/gal)

Figure 4: Co-Product Variation 

Several plants are reporting co-products other than DDGS, WDG, or corn oil, a trend 

which seems to indicate further diversification within the industry. Table 7 summarizes 

additional co-products and the number of reporting plants. 

Table 7: Co-Product Diversification

Co-Product # of Plants 

Syrup 3 

Modified Distillers Grains 3 

Carbon Dioxide 1 

Bran, Germ Syrup 1 

Syrup, Carbon Dioxide 1 

Condensed Distiller Solubles 2 

Solubles 1 

6.4) Logistics 

6.4.1) Corn Shipments to the Plants

The survey asked the following question: “The vast majority (90%) of corn is grown 

within what radius of your plant (please estimate or provide best guess)?” The responses 

are summarized in Table 8. The statistics were skewed by two ethanol plants located in 

the southwest which reported large corn transportation distances (in excess of 1000 

miles). Excluding these two plants results in much lower transportation distances and 

standard deviations for the reporting plants. In fact, the average corn draw circle of 47.1 

miles indicates that plants source their corn in very close proximity to their plants. 
10

Table 8: Corn Supply Radius 

 The vast majority of 

corn is grown within 

what radius of plant? 

Excluding two 

plants located in 

the southwest 

Weighted Miles 91.5 47.1

Avg 75.6 45.7

STD 189.7 42.4

N 78 76

6.4.2) Ethanol Shipments from the Plants

The ethanol distribution mode from the plants was assessed. The transportation modes of 

42 valid responses weighted by ethanol volume are as follows: 25% of ethanol is 

distributed by truck, 3% by ship/barge, and 72% by rail/tankcar. The transportation 

modes vary significantly by plant as indicated in Figure 5. 

Ethanol Distribution

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41

Plant #

Percent Transportation Share by Volume

Tankcar

Barge

Truck

Figure 5: Transportation Mode by Plant 

6.5) Water Use 

The water use and discharge reported by ethanol plants is summarized in Table 9. The 

survey also asked the following open ended question: “Has your plant made any recent 

improvements to reduce fresh water usage?” Table 10 shows the verbatim responses, 

which appear to indicate a trend towards overall water use/discharge optimization by 

ethanol plants. 

Table 9: Ethanol Plant Water Use 

 Fresh Water Water Discharge 

Weighted gal/gal (anhydrous) 2.72 0.46

Avg 2.69 0.43

STD 0.88 0.63

N 48 55
11

Table 10: Improvements to Fresh Water Usage

Responses to Open Ended Question 

Installed 2 [reverse osmosis] RO systems to recycle water from our waste stream. Installed a 

fin fan system on our cooling tower. 

Coming up with a plan to 

Complete recycle of water and went zero liquid discharge during 2008 

Cooling tower makeup water pretreatment. Evaporator modifications 

Improved water treatment capacity to reduce cooling tower water usage by increasing cycles 

Increased cycles of concentration of water in the system. 

Installed/modified heat exchangers to capture more heat to be used in the process and 

reduced the heat loading to the cooling tower 

Optimization of RO operations Continued optimization of fermentation 

Proprietary, cut 25% of required water to CO2 scrubber while remaining below required 

emissions limits 

Recover more heat from stack, reducing boiler make up and less fresh water to the sky. 

Single prop from 3 prop system NH3 Addition to Ferm vs. Urea Use some RO water makeup 

to the CT Discontinue use of Methanator No longer use hydroheater 

Use a recycle stream as inlet to the front end water needs 

Use storm water for make up water in the process 

Water is recycled back to the slurry instead of disposing it. About 10% 

Water reuse/ cleaning program. 

We added a fourth reverse osmosis machine to help clean more gallons of water. 

We cycled up our cooling tower. 

We have installed additional piping and valves for the recycling of used steam and condensate. 

Zero discharge Plant with RO concentrating to reduce water to be discharged 

One plant uses zero discharge 
12

Appendix A: Advance Letter and E-Vites 

Advance Letter

Dear [%%First Name%%], 

Dear Ethanol Plant Operator: 

Recent regulations, including the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the Renewable Fuels Standard 

II, use models to compare the energy and environmental footprint of ethanol against gasoline. In order to 

assure correct representation of the ethanol industry during these modeling procedures, the University of 

Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center (UIC-ERC), with broad industry support, is conducting a survey 

of ethanol plant energy consumption. 

The energy use numbers from the ethanol plants will be aggregated with the intent to update the GREET 

Model that is managed by Argonne National Laboratory. The energy use numbers from the ethanol industry 

have not been updated in the GREET Model since 2004. The GREET Model is a full life cycle fuel analysis 

model used to determine the greenhouse gas emissions of different transportation fuels. This model is used 

by both the California Air Resources Board and the USEPA to determine the direct greenhouse gas 

emissions of ethanol compared to gasoline for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the RFS II respectively. 

Argonne has committed to the Illinois Corn Growers Association, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Association 

and the University of Illinois-Chicago that they will update the GREET Model with the new numbers if a 

statistically representative number of ethanol plants complete this survey completely and accurately. This 

updated data is critical if we want USEPA and CARB to correctly represent reductions in the Global 

Warming Impact of corn ethanol compared to gasoline. 

None of the collected data will be used for commercial/competitive purposes. All collected data will be 

aggregated to provide a snapshot of the average industry; the ethanol plant’s individual information will 

never be released. Participation in this assessment is strictly voluntary. However, a large sample of 

responses is crucial to the success of this project. 

In the next few weeks, we will email ethanol plant operators a link to a web-based assessment form, which 

will primarily assess basic capacity, co-product, and energy (gas, coal, electric use) information. The 

requested information should be readily available and take no longer than 30 minutes to complete. In 

appreciation for your time, you will receive a $50 Amazon.com® Gift Card* for completing the questionnaire. 

Your Gift Card will arrive via email within two weeks from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

All submitted information will be collected and aggregated by the University of Illinois at Chicago Survey 

Research Laboratory (www.srl.uic.edu). Steffen Mueller, Principal Economist at UIC-ERC will be available to 

provide guidance and answer any questions throughout the survey process. He can be reached at 312-355-

3982 or muellers@uic.edu. 

Thank you very much for participating in this important project. 

Sincerely, 

Steffen Mueller, PhD 

Principal Economist, University of Illinois at Chicago 

Energy Resources Center 

*Amazon.com is not a sponsor of this research. Amazon, Amazon.com, and the Amazon.com logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. 

Amazon.com Gift Cards ("GCs") may be used only to purchase eligible goods on Amazon.com or its affiliated website Endless.com. GCs cannot be redeemed for 

purchases of gift certificates or cards, or for items from some third party sellers. GCs cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash, or 

applied to any other account. For complete terms and conditions, see http://www.amazon.com/gc-legal. GCs are issued and © 2009 by ACI Gift Cards, Inc., a 

Washington company. 
13

Initial e-vite

Subject: Ethanol Plant Energy Survey 

From name: Steffen Mueller, Ph.D. 

From email: lisakw@srl.uic.edu 

Dear [%%First Name%%], 

Greetings from the Energy Resource Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago! 

Recent regulations, including the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the Renewable Fuels 

Standard II, use models to compare the energy and environmental footprint of ethanol against 

gasoline. In order to assure correct representation of the ethanol industry during these modeling 

procedures, the University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center (UIC-ERC), with broad 

industry support, is conducting a survey of ethanol plant energy consumption. 

The energy use numbers from the ethanol plants will be aggregated with the intent to update the 

GREET Model that is managed by Argonne National Laboratory. The energy use numbers from 

the ethanol industry have not been updated in the GREET Model since 2004. Argonne has 

committed to the Illinois Corn Growers Association, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Association, and 

the University of Illinois-Chicago that they will update the GREET Model with the new numbers if 

a statistically representative number of ethanol plants complete this survey completely and 

accurately. This updated data is critical if we want USEPA and CARB to correctly represent 

reductions in the Global Warming Impact of corn ethanol compared to gasoline in both the RFS II 

and LCFS. 

None of the collected data will be used for commercial/competitive purposes. All collected data 

will be aggregated to provide a snapshot of the average industry; the ethanol plant’s individual 

information will never be released. Participation in this assessment is strictly voluntary. However, 

a large sample of responses is crucial to the success of this project. In appreciation for your time, 

you will receive a $50 Amazon.com® Gift Card for completing the questionnaire. Your Gift Card 

will arrive via email within two weeks from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Please click here to access the survey: [%%Secure Survey Link%%]. The requested information 

should be readily available and take no longer than 30 minutes to complete. 

If you have any questions about this questionnaire, please contact Steffen Mueller at 312-355-

3982, muellers@uic.edu. For questions about the web survey administration or problems with 

the link, please contact Lisa Kelly-Wilson at lisakw@srl.uic.edu. 

Thank you very much for participating in this important project. 

Sincerely, 

Steffen Mueller, PhD 

Principal Economist 

University of Illinois at Chicago 

Energy Resources Center 

*Amazon.com is not a sponsor of this research. Amazon, Amazon.com, and the Amazon.com logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. 

Amazon.com Gift Cards ("GCs") may be used only to purchase eligible goods on Amazon.com or its affiliated website Endless.com. GCs cannot be redeemed for 

purchases of gift certificates or cards, or for items from some third party sellers. GCs cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash, or 

applied to any other account. For complete terms and conditions, see http://www.amazon.com/gc-legal. GCs are issued and © 2009 by ACI Gift Cards, Inc., a 

Washington company. 
14

Reminder e-vite

Subject: Reminder to Participate in the Ethanol Plant Energy Survey 

From name: Steffen Mueller, Ph.D. 

From email: lisakw@srl.uic.edu 

Dear [%%First Name%%], 

Greetings from the Energy Resource Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago! 

We recently invited you to participate in an survey of the ethanol industry. To date, we have 

not received your response, so I am writing again to once again request your participation. 

Recent regulations including the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the Renewable 

Fuels Standard use models to compare the energy and environmental footprint of ethanol 

against gasoline. In order to assure correct representation of the ethanol industry during 

these modeling procedures, the University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center 

(UIC-ERC), with broad industry support, is conducting a survey of ethanol plant energy 

consumption. 

None of the collected data will be used for commercial or competitive purposes. All collected 

data will be aggregated to provide a snapshot of the average industry; the ethanol plant’s 

individual information will never be released. 

Participation in this assessment is strictly voluntary and can be cancelled at any time. 

However, a large sample of responses is crucial to the success of this project. Your 

responses will be kept confidential by the UIC Energy Resource Center. 

Please click here to access the survey: [%%Secure Survey Link%%]. The requested 

information should be readily available and take no longer than 30 minutes to complete. In 

appreciation for your time, you will receive a $50 Amazon.com® Gift Card for completing the 

questionnaire. Your Gift Card will arrive via email within two weeks from the University of 

Illinois at Chicago. 

If you have any questions about this questionnaire, please contact Steffen Mueller at 312-

355-3982, muellers@uic.edu. For questions about the web survey administration or 

problems with the link, please contact Lisa Kelly-Wilson at lisakw@srl.uic.edu. 

Thank you very much for participating in this important project. 

Sincerely, 

Steffen Mueller, PhD 

Principal Economist 

University of Illinois at Chicago 

Energy Resources Center 

*Amazon.com is not a sponsor of this research. Amazon, Amazon.com, and the Amazon.com logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. 

Amazon.com Gift Cards ("GCs") may be used only to purchase eligible goods on Amazon.com or its affiliated website Endless.com. GCs cannot be redeemed for 

purchases of gift certificates or cards, or for items from some third party sellers. GCs cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash, or 

applied to any other account. For complete terms and conditions, see http://www.amazon.com/gc-legal. GCs are issued and © 2009 by ACI Gift Cards, Inc., a 

Washington company. 
15

Informed Consent

Welcome to the survey! 

The University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center is conducting a survey with 

approximately 160 ethanol plants. The purpose of the survey is to collect information on 

ethanol plant energy use, ethanol and co-product volumes, and shipping characteristics. 

Compensation: There is no compensation for participating in this study. We value your 

input and hope that you can devote about 30 minutes of your time to answering the 

questionnaire. 

Participation in this survey is completely voluntary. You are free to stop anytime or skip 

any items you do not like. 

This survey is anonymous: The information you provide will only be reported as group 

data. 

What are the risks & benefits? There are no known risks associated with participating in 

this study. Your participation will benefit your industry and assure that policy makers 

(including those involved with the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the Renewable 

Fuels Standard) use correct information during modeling procedures that compare the 

energy and environmental footprint of ethanol against gasoline. Aggregated results of the 

survey will be posted on the UIC-Energy Resources Center website. 

Who is administering the survey? The Survey Research Laboratory (SRL) of UIC is 

administering this survey. SRL will not release any personal, identifying information. 

If you have any questions about this survey please contact Steffen Mueller at 312-355-

3982 or by email at muellers@uic.edu. For questions about the web survey administration 

you can contact Dr. Sowmya Anand at (217) 333 2219, sowmya@srl.uic.edu. For concerns 

about the study or questions about your rights as a research participant, please call the UIC 

Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS) at 312-996-1711 (local) or 1-866-

789-6215 (toll-free), uicirb@uic.edu. 

In appreciation for your time, you will receive a $50 Amazon.com® Gift Card for 

completing the questionnaire. Your Gift Card will arrive via email within two weeks from the 

University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Thank you for your participation in this study!! 

___________________________________________________________________ 

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Appendix B: Survey Instrument 

1) In what zip code is your plant located? 

_________ Zip Code 

 

 

2) Is your ethanol plant a dry mill or a wet mill?            

      

Dry Mill 

 

Wet Mill 

 

Other (SPECIFY ________________) 

 

3) When did your ethanol plant start‐up? (dd/mm/yy) 

 

4) What is the plant's nameplate capacity for anhydrous ethanol production? 

 (million gallons per year) 

 

5) How much anhydrous ethanol did the plant produce in 2008? You may want to use EIA‐819.

   

 (million gallons per year) 

 

 

6) Which of the following energy and process technologies does your plant have installed?

(CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)                

    

6a) Energy Technologies 

Natural gas boiler 

Natural gas direct-fired dryer 

Super heated Steam Dryer (SSD) 

Steam dryer 

Electricity steam turbine 

Electricity combustion turbine 

Biomass Boiler 

Biomass Gasifier 

Anaerobic Digester generating methane for in-plant fuel use 

Coal Boiler 

Wind turbines 

High efficiency motors (NEMA Premium Efficiency) 

Other energy technologies (please specify) 

6b) Process Technologies 

Corn Fractionation Unit 

Backend Corn Oil Extraction Unit 

Carbon Dioxide Extraction Unit 

Cold Cook Process 
17

Other process technologies (please specify) 

 

7) What is the total volume of corn your plant received for processing in 2008?    

    

 __________ bushels of corn 

 

8) The vast majority (90%) of corn is grown within what radius of your plant (please estimate or

provide best guess)?            

 _________ MILES 

       

9) What is your plant's average yield per year of the following ethanol products?    

   

 

 ___________ anhydrous gallons per bushel 

 

 ___________ denatured gallons per bushel 

 

10) To how many states does your plant distribute ethanol?

 ___________ state(s) 

11) In the following table, please indicate the 3 primary states your plant distributes ethanol to,

the amount distributed, and the mode of transport. If your plant distributes ethanol to more

than 3 states, please report on the 3 top recipients. If your plant distributes to fewer than 3

plants, leave the columns blank. 

   

 

 

 

 

RECIPIENT 1 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN GALLONS)

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT 2 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN GALLONS)

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT 3 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN GALLONS)

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR
18

 

12) What co‐products does your plant distribute? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

 DDGS 

 WDG 

 Corn Oil 

 Other (SPECIFY) 

FOR EACH CO‐PRODUCT CHECKED, THE RESPONDENT WILL BE PRESENTED WITH THE

FOLLOWING FOLLOW‐UP QUESTIONS              

            

IF DGGS: 

Who are the primary recipients of DGGS co‐product?

RECIPIENT 1 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS)

% MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT 2 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS)

% MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT 3 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS)

% MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR
19

IF WDG:

IF CORN OIL:

RECIPIENT1 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS) % MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT2 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS) % MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT3 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS) % MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT1 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS) % MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT2 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS) % MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT3 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS) % MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR
20

IF OTHER (SPECIFY) 

The final set of questions relates to your plant’s energy use for calendar year 2008.  

13) Does your plant Use Natural Gas for Process Energy?

If no, skip to 14)

If yes, is it possible to use your 2008 natural gas bills to total your plant’s natural gas needs

(preferred method)?

If yes, skip to 13)a  

If no, skip to 13)b

13a) are your natural gas bills stated in therms or BTU?  

IF therms    

How many therms of natural gas were purchased for plant production in 2008?  __________

therms

IF BTU 

How many BTU of natural gas were purchased for plant production in 2008?   __________

BTU

13b) Please report your 2008 natural purchases in BTU of Higher Heating Value

14) How many BTUs of coal were purchased for plant production in 2008? ________BTU

RECIPIENT 1 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS)

% MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT 2 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS)

% MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR

RECIPIENT 3 (CITY/STATE)

QUANTITY DISTRIBUTED (IN TONS)

% MOISTURE

MODE OF TRANSPORT

   TRUCK

   BARGE/SHIP

   TANKCAR
21

15) How many BTUs of Biomass were purchased for plant production in 2008?_________BTU

16) Did you purchase any other energy feedstocks in 2008 (please specify)   ________BTU

17) Who is your plant’s electricity provider?

18) How many kilowatt hours for plant production were purchased for plant production in

2008?

19) What is your plant’s source of fresh water?

City

Onsite well

Other (SPECIFY)

20) How many gallons of fresh water per anhydrous gallon were used in 2008?

21) How many gallons of water per anhydrous gallon were discharged in 2008?

22a) Has your plant made any recent improvements to reduce fresh water usage?

    Yes

    No –SKIP TO Q21

22b) Please explain your recent improvements to reduce fresh water usage.

23) In the event we have questions about the data you have provided, may we contact you for

clarification?

    YES

    NO –SKIP TO END/THANK YOU  

24) Thank you. Please provide your name and phone number or e‐mail address at which we can

contact you.

    NAME

    PHONE #

    E‐MAIL ADDRESS

END/THANK YOU:  Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. Within the next

couple of weeks, you will receive an e‐mail with your Amazon.com Gift Card claim code.