Ethanol:
A Safety Perspective
RENEWABLE FUELS ASSOCIATION
“THE VOICE OF THE ETHANOL INDUSTRY”
FOR OVER 25 YEARS
SEPTEMBER 2009
Renewable Fuels Association
 National Trade Association for the domestic ethanol
industry promoting policy, regulations, research and
development for the industry.
 History of the Association
◦ Organized in 1981
◦ Ethanol Producers constitute the Board of Directors
◦ Representing majority of the domestic production
◦ Leader in legislative and technical efforts of industry
United States Transportation Fuels
 Gasoline Market 140 billion gallons / year
 160,000 retail fuel stations
 Current Ethanol domestic production capacity of 11.5
billion gallons/ year

190+ plants operating in 25 states
 75% of nation’s gasoline is E10
 E85- ~150 million gallons per year
 2,100 retail fuel pumps
Ethanol as a Fuel & Fuel Additive
•
E10 (10% ethanol by volume)
•
•
Approved for use in all vehicles and engines
~98% of ethanol consumed as E10
E85 (70-85% ethanol by volume)
•
•
•
For use in flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) only
<2% of ethanol consumed as E85
Mid-level blends (20, 30, 40% ethanol by volume)
•
•
•
For use in FFVs only
Dispensed by “blender pumps” (<250 stations)
Ethanol Production
The Ethanol Production Process
Basic ingredients:
Cereal Grains + water + heat + enzymes + yeast
1 Bushel of #2 Yellow Dent Corn produces:
2.7 Gallons of 200 Proof Ethanol
17 Pounds of Distillers Dried Grains
17 Pounds of Carbon Dioxide
Production Hazards Identified
 Flammable Liquids
Ethanol
 Denaturant, typically Natural Gasoline, Unleaded
Gasoline
 Grain Handling
 Corn
 Dust Collection
 Process Chemicals
 Acids/ Caustics/ Surfactants

Ethanol Plant Grain Handling
 Inbound feedstock to the Plant
Corn
 Sorghum/ Milo
 Typical storage
 Silo
 Inbound Truck and Railcar
 Dust Collection Systems
 Hammermill area, grain is pulverized and water added
immediately thereafter

Fuel Ethanol Properties
 Content: Fuel, 98% Ethanol, 2% Denaturant:
Natural Gasoline, Unleaded, Naphtha
 Characteristics



Boiling Point: 78°C
Vapor Pressure: 44@ 20°C
Completely miscible with water
 MSDS
 Polar Solvent- must have Alcohol Resistant type of
foam
 E85 very similar to this product, higher gasoline %
Fuel Ethanol Use
 Midwest gasoline blended at all octane levels
◦ Traditional Markets
 Reformulated Gasoline
◦ MTBE replacement
 Western States
◦ Oregon 10% mandate
◦ California moving from 6% to 10% blends
 Southeast States
◦ Effort to increase ethanol blended with conventional gasoline
Fuel Ethanol Transportation
 Rail Transportation
 DOT 111A 30k gallon capacity
 Truck Transportation
 MC306/ DOT406 Transport Trucks
 Barge Transportation
 Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Columbia
 10k, 15k barrel inland capacity, Intercoastal barges
 Pipeline interest
 Quality, Compatibility Research
 Matter of “when”, not “if”.
The Virtual Pipeline
 Ethanol in Unit Trains
 “Ethanol Express”
 Shipment volumes ~3 million gallons
 Single trains consisting of 65, 75, 95 ethanol
cars
 Origination in Midwest- Destination all coasts
 Major build out of loading and landing locations
 #1 Hazmat on rail, less than 2% of all rail
shipments
Biofuels in the Pipeline
 KinderMorgan’s Central Florida Pipeline
 Pipeline distance of 105 miles
 Commercial shipments of Fuel Ethanol
 Gasoline
 KinderMorgan’s Plantation Pipeline
 B5 Shipments
 95% Diesel Fuel/ 5% Biodiesel fuel blend
RFA
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Today’s Terminaling System
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 1352 terminals in US
 Petroleum and Chemicals
 Known conversion techniques
 Port terminals handling imports and domestic
product

Imported product is denatured immediately upon offload
 Rail access improvements
 Continued build of unit train loading and landing stations
 #1 Hazmat on Rail, still less than 2% of total rail shipments
Recognizing Fuel Ethanol on the move….
 UN 1987 used for all transportation for E95
Ethanol content >95%
 UN 3475 used for all transportation for E85
 Ethanol content >10%, <94%
 UN 1993 used for denaturant transportation
 Hydrocarbon only designation, Natural Gasoline,
Gasoline, Naphtha
 UN 1203 used for ethanol/ gasoline blends E10
 Ethanol content <10%

Ethanol
Concentration
Preferred Proper Shipping Name
E1 to E10
Gasohol, UN 1203 or Gasoline, UN 1203
E11 to E94
Ethanol and Gasoline Mixture, UN 3475
E95 to E99
Denatured Alcohol, NA 1987 or
Alcohols n.o.s., UN 1987
E100
Ethanol or Ethyl Alcohol, UN 1170
Fuel Ethanol, UN 1987 Location
 Plant Storage Tanks
 Plant Loading Racks
 Trucks/ Railcars/ Barges in transit
 Petroleum Terminals
 Petroleum Loading Racks blend Ethanol
10% Ethanol
 90% Unleaded Gasoline
 Placard UN 1203
 Headed to Retail Gas Stations


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Public and Private Industry coming together to provide
much needed emergency response information.
Founding Members: RFA, ILTA, IAFC, Ansul, Williams
Fire and Hazard Control, Industrial Fire World
Ethanol Emergency Response
information available:
www.ethanolresponse.com
Complete
Training program
available:
Foam Selection
video,
Responding to
Ethanol
Incidents, and
Training Modules
with instructors
guide.
May 14, 2007 Baltimore Maryland
RFA Plant and Employee Safety Committee
 Health, Safety and Environmental Professionals
from Production Facilities

Website for safety being developed: www.ethanolrfa.org
 Focus on sharing “best practices”
 Promote regulatory compliance
 DOT
 OSHA
 EPA
 TTB (formerly the ATF)
 DHS (Homeland Security)
Future Retail Fueling Stations
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RFA
One Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 820 Washington, DC 20001
P: 202.289.3835 | www.EthanolRFA.org | F: 202.289.7519
2008
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