Band 9: You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The diagram below shows how ethanol fuel is produced from corn. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. You should write at least 150 words.

The diagram illustrates the step-by-step process of producing ethanol fuel from corn. There are nine distinct stages, beginning with the cultivation of corn and culminating in the final production of ethanol.

First, corn crops are grown in various farmlands. Once ripe, these crops are stored in large silos. The next step involves crushing the ripe corn in milling machines to prepare it for further processing. Following this, the crushed corn is mixed with water and cooked for approximately four hours.

The most time-consuming phase of this process is fermentation. During this stage, the cooked mixture is fermented for about 48 hours. After fermentation, it is necessary to separate the liquid from solid by-products to obtain pure ethanol. It is worth noting that purifying the ethanol takes around five hours.

Finally, all the purified ethanol is transferred to storage facilities, from where it will be distributed worldwide.

In conclusion, the production of ethanol fuel is a complex process that involves nine detailed steps.