When thinking of ethanol, often the first association that comes to mind in terms of raw production is corn. However, it turns out that a wide variety of organic materials can, if properly treated, provide the source material required to produce a complete biofuel.
Believe it or not, it is the starch that is sought after in corn. Once reduced into simple sugars, fermentation then distillation creates the finished ethanol. Some argue that this method puts great strain on feedstocks and hence will drive the cost of corn through the ceiling.
To that argument, engineers have countered that sugarcane is a more than adequate stock. In fact, like you might suspect, it’s a plant with a shorter route to the sugar required to make fuel. Before those of us junkies (myself included) begin to express protest in the potential for increases in sugar cost, it should be noted that through cellulosic production, some pretty worthless stocks could substitute for either corn or sugarcane; things like grass clippings, wood chips, or sawdust.
Through thermo-chemical, biochemical, or a combination of the two methods, nearly any raw material’s cellulose can be exposed before being converted into simple sugars (the rest of the process would be unchanged).
This research is very hopeful and, if nothing else, the source of what was considered science fiction just a few short years ago. Imagine if rather than crude oil, your household garbage could be converted into the fuel for your car.
