Bioethanol: five questions and answers

1. What exactly is bioethanol?

Bioethanol (ethyl alcohol) is made from renewable resources by distillation after alcoholic fermentation, or by another similar biochemical method. In Germany, sugar beet or cereal crops such as wheat and oats are most commonly used to produce bioethanol. At present, no commercial manufacturing plants in Germany are producing bioethanol from lignocellulosic materials, e.g. straw or wood. Such processes are still at the pilot stage.