Cellulosic Ethanol to Decrease Our Dependence On Foreign Oil?

Ethanol Reduces Harmful Emissions

Ethanol, when combined with a small amount of unleaded gasoline, is, basically the gasoline that makes our autos run and an alternative to "straight" gasoline. Produced from the starch in corn and other crops, ethanol is clean-burning, reduces harmful emissions, and is high octane.

That makes ethanol renewable, or desirable from an environmental standpoint. From a national budgetary and security standpoint, the fact that ethanol is domestic decreases our reliance on foreign oil.

Cellulose-To-Ethanol Greatly Increases Fuel Volume

Cellulose ethanol (plant-fiber based, versus ethanol’s plant-based process) might turn out to be an even better solution. We just have to figure out a cost-effective way to produce it!

Cellulose is a long chain of sugar molecules that is the main component of plant cell walls. Ethanol made from such cellulose--wood wastes, rice and wheat straws and other agricultural residues, as well as urban trash (post-sorted Municipal Solid Waste where all recyclables and non biomass components have been removed)--is called cellulosic ethanol.

Basically, most ethanol in the United States is made only from the starch in a corn kernel. Cellulose-to-ethanol production makes use of plant fibers. It’s difficult to produce (the cellulose must be “unglued” from the plant fiber) and, therefore, more expensive, but, say Biorenewable experts, it’s worth it.

The production of ethanol from cellulose dramatically expands the types and amount of available material for ethanol production. Cellulosic ethanol promises to greatly increase the volume of fuel deployed in the transportation fuel market.

What is Biomass?

Biomass is a renewable fuel made from the living, or recently living, biological material which can be used for fuel. Biomass is grown from several plants including switch grass, corn, hemp, sugarcane and willow.