Ethanol supply chain and industry overview : more harm than good?
Author(s)
Bruce, Sarah L![Thumbnail](/bitstream/handle/1721.1/81095/858277767-MIT.pdf.jpg?sequence=5&isAllowed=y)
DownloadFull printable version (10.90Mb)
Other Contributors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division.
Advisor
Alexis Hickman Bateman and Edgar Blanco.
Terms of use
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This thesis is a comprehensive study that aggregates the key aspects of ethanol including its supply chain, government legislation that impacts the use of, and the inherent material characteristics of the fuel as well as its environmental impact. Based on existing research, this study suggests whether or not mandating biofuels in today's energy portfolio makes sense and if so, to what extent. The objective of this research was to compile and analyze the large body of existing working knowledge regarding ethanol and distill some key takeaways for actionable recommendations. The findings in this research may be useful to policy makers, and those unfamiliar with the industry and wanting to learn more about ethanol. The key takeaway is that ethanol does not provide a quick fix to the world's energy problems but when combined with improved energy conservation, continued research and development to improve ethanol's carbon footprint, it can provide some help to reducing the environmental impact along with other benefits such as energy independence and rural economic stimulation.
Description
Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 84-87).
Date issued
2013Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems DivisionPublisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Engineering Systems Division.