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2 Sides To The Ethanol Food Crisis: The Alternative
Posted on Fri May 9 2008
 Now that you have read,Fueling the Food Crisis: Part Two, you understand the benefits of Ethanol as well as the negative aspects to its use. Does this make the use of Ethanol a bad thing? Perhaps it’s all about rethinking the problem and coming up with a new solution. For example, not rethinking the use of Ethanol, but the source from which Ethanol is made. Producing ethanol from a source that is not used for food or for feed, but instead other plant matters, such as Cellulosic Ethanol would perhaps solve the problem. Despite the increased difficulty to break down cellulose to convert it into usable sugars for ethanol production, producing Ethanol from cellulose allows for a greater amount of available material to be used. Such available material would include: wastes requiring disposal, corn stalks, rice straw, wood, wood waste, wood chips, perennial grasses like miscanthus and switchgrass, prairie grass, etc. Producing ethanol from cellulose could also increase the amount of ethanol produced in the U.S. and around the world. Unfortunately, the production of Cellulosic Ethanol is small, and is also not well developed yet. There is still much research to be done to perfect and expand its use. In addition Cellulosic Ethanol may come with its own problems, such as requiring even more land than corn or competing with Ethanol corn industry. Does this mean we shouldn’t even consider the idea? Even RFA stresses that alternative Ethanol (Cellulosic Ethanol) will offer more job opportunities and economic growth “outside the traditional ‘“grain belt,”’ with production across the country from locally available resources.” Producing Cellulose ethanol will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More information available: 2. Ethanol Production Threatens Plains States With Water Scarcity 3. Food Crisis Starts Eclipsing Climate Change Worries 4. Gov. Perry asks for cut in ethanol produced from grain How Congress is Shortchanging Our Health and Sweetening Things for the Food Industry CommentsLet us know what you think! |
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As for competing with land used by corn ethanol for fuel production, wouldn't that be a double-use crop with the corn being used for whatever application, and the cornstalks used to make the cellulistic ethanol?