Other Crops for Ethanol Production

The pulp news press is still running, blaring loudly from every possible outlet that Ethanol is bad.

Bull.

Many of these statements are based on an errant study that is focussed on corn based ethanol production. There are a great number of other plants that can produce quality ethanol, many with lower inputs than corn. Here are a few:

• Rice
• Wheat
• Potatoes
• Switchgrass
• Sorghum
  
• Beets
• Sugar Cane
• Miscanthus (a type of fast growing grass)
• Barley
• Apples
• Trees
• Brush and typical weeds
• Sunflower
• Crop wastes
• Yard clippings
• Cherries

Just about any sweet or starchy plant can be used. People seem to be focusing on corn based ethanol. Why? Maybe because so much conventional agricultural infrastructure is made to support corn processing and agriculture. Ethanol is made by converting starch or sugars into ethyl alcohol through fermentation. Anything that produces sugar can be fermented. ANYTHING! Why the focus on corn?

Here is a bit of historical ethanol trivia for you... The original internal combustion engines were designed to use alcohol but since gasoline was so inexpensive, the engines were modified to burn gasoline. In 1919 when prohibition began, ethyl alcohol was illegal and could only be sold when mixed with gasoline. That laid the groundwork with auto engineers. Automobile motors were designed to use gasoline.

So, when reading in the common press of the problems with ethanol production and it causing more pollution than conventional gasoline, just remember... The press, almost by design, must sell product. Don't believe everything you read in the paper.