Ethanol from Corn Stalks: A Cure for Climate Change?
by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) … “This is one of the core technologies that we need to cut oil use and reduce emissions from transportation,” said Jeremy Martin, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “It would be great if we had more of these facilities.”
DuPont expects to buy 375,000 tons of corn residue annually from 400 to 500 farmers within 30 miles of the Nevada plant. About 80 people will make 30 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol each year.
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But ethanol supporters say government policy — combined with concerns about the environment and food scarcity with corn ethanol — could undermine its development across the country.
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The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed cutting the amount of ethanol that must be blended into the nation’s fuel supply.
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DuPont executive Jan Koninckx said DuPont, Poet and Abengoa Bioenergy and others have invested “hundreds of millions of dollars” developing and proving the next-generation technology.
But EPA threw a wrench in plans to ramp up production in the U.S. by ratcheting back the nation’s renewable fuel standard, he said, creating uncertainty for investors.
Koninckx and Matt Merritt, a Poet spokesman, say their companies expect the greatest licensing opportunities will come from outside the U.S., given the current environment.
DuPont has already licensed its technology in China, where it’s looking for other opportunities, in addition to South and Central America, and Eastern Europe.
“The U.S. has been a renewable fuels leader — in terms of innovation, R&D, engineering, production,” Koninckx said. That’s brought development, energy security and climate benefits.
But, he added, “The U.S. may squander those gains.”
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Martin, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said it’s important that EPA provides the renewable fuels industry more clarity over the next year about “what’s coming down the road.”
“There’s a very loud shouting match between the oil industry and corn ethanol industry, and I think that really distracts us from what this is about: getting to cleaner fuels that have very low emissions,” Martin said.
Cellulosic ethanol creates about 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuel, studies show. READ MORE
