Cellulose Ethanol

Cellulose Ethanol: Sustainable Fuel for the Future

Cellulose ethanol is different from "regular" ethanol only in production. Conventional ethanol comes, from the most part, from corn, and is made by liquefying corn starch and fermenting it with enzymes that create ethanol. Cellulose ethanol is created from agricultural, industrial, and commercially grown plant wastes, which include Switchgrass (a crop grown specifically for energy) cereal straws, paper pulp and sawdust, among other things.
 
Cellulose ethanol, unlike grain based variants, do not require a fossil fuel in the distillation process.  This means that they do not produce C02 charged greenhouse gases when they're created.  A study from the Argonne National Laboratory found that conventional ethanol produced 20 to 30 percent fewer emissions than gasoline, while Cellulose ethanol produced 80 percent fewer emissions - a much more noticeable improvement.  Also, since this form of ethanol is produced mostly from waste, it is far more economical to produce.

“The advantage of Cellulose Ethanol is that it can easily become a mass produced fuel for the future.”

Currently, such wastes are generally disposed of by being plowed back into the soil, burned, or shipped to landfills. The distillation of this form of ethanol thus opens a new market--an entirely different source of income--for agricultural workers that they can easily tap into without making many, if any changes to their crop planning, and without acquiring more farm land. Other types of waste, such as paper sludge, are also good candidates for ethanol distillation, opening a similar market to paper mills. It normally costs a great deal of money (eighty some odd dollars per ton) to have paper sludge removed to a landfill. Selling this waste to corporate bodies interested in creating and selling fuel could change what was once looked at as a necessary expenditure into a zero loss exchange, and even a net profit.
 
If cellulose ethanol is so awesome, you ask, how come it hasn't already seen mass production? Mostly because no one has taken the initiative to build a refinery--a place to actually make the stuff. The estimated cost for starting and maintaining one would require an enormous amount of capital--as much as $800 million. (This is a 'safe' number, which takes into account a good deal of foreseeable accidents. It is also the number that cellulose ethanol enthusiasts are hoping to see from a federal grant.)
 
If you're looking for a good investment in the near future, keep your eyes open on cellulose ethanol. It is almost assured a strong place in the market. Maybe even a stronger place than oil.