The following diagram illustrates the process by which ethanol is produced.
Overall, ethanol is a biofuel produced from plants through a multi-step process. The initial steps involve chemically converting plant material into cellulose and then into sugars that further processed biologically, resulting in the production of ethanol which eventually used by cars.
The first four stages of production focus on the transformation of raw materials. Plants and trees absorb energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide, growing and storing it. Once harvested by agricultural machinery, the vegetation is pre-processed in a chipper machine. This prepares the material for the next step, where cellulose is extracted.
The remaining five steps of ethanol production involve converting cellulose into a biofuel. Chemical processing transforms the collected cellulose into sugars. These sugars are then fermented by microbes, resulting in the creation of ethanol. Besides, the process creates a cycle: the ethanol produced is used as fuel in various transportation modes, releasing carbon dioxide that is subsequently utilized by plants in the first stage of production.