Is Ethanol Forever?
Is Ethanol forever? Or is it a “flash in the pan” of fuel? Is there, or will there be, enough corn to produce ethanol? Can $5 or $6 corn be a viable resource for ethanol production? What happens to corn prices if and when cellulose is used to produce ethanol? All of those questions are part of current coffee shop conversation, especially in rural communities where corn is the king of commodities. So what are some of the answers? I don’t offer answers here, but rather my perspective.
My first recognition of ethanol as a renewable fuel came as I was beginning my broadcasting career in the 1970’s. During the oil embargo at that time, an ethanol rally was held in Peoria. The National Corn Growers Association has been promoting its use ever since. Keep in mind, that way before my time, Henry Ford’s 1920’s Model T was designed to convert to ethanol. So here’s another question: What took so long for the U. S. Government to create a Renewable Fuels Mandate, requiring the production of FIVE times more renewable fuels AND cutting the use of gasoline by 20 percent over the next decade?! The short answer is probably “evolution.” It’s taken that long for circumstances to “evolve” to demand protection of the environment and strengthening of our own energy security! So, now what? We go with what we’ve got. Corn. Currently, we’ve got the supply and the technology to produce ethanol from it. What about ethanol from cellulose? From the corn producer perspective, we’ve already got corn stalks and the equipment to transform one bale of corn stalks into 60-75 gallons of ethanol. Now we need more biomass resources (like switchgrass and/or miscanthus), harvesting and transporting equipment and storage. And like with ethanol from corn, it will take time to ramp up production. But with the United States already producing 1.3 billion tons of biomass each year, it means when a system is found to convert the loads of plant material into ethanol, it could yield 100 billion gallons of fuel! How much is that? The entire U.S. consumption of gasoline is now 140 billion gallons. And the possibilities don’t stop there. Already there’s an Illinois company claiming to make ethanol from waste for $1 per gallon or less, which is half the cost of making gasoline. The Warrenton, Illinois, company says it can use a bacteria and existing gasification technology to make 99.7% pure ethanol, plus water…AND it doesn’t have to wait for cellulose to “come of age.” Coskata’s process uses garbage, old tires and other waste, but the company spokesman says wood waste will be used first, “because it’s available, cheap and easy to handle,” and they’ll be “ready to roll” in two years. And do you know who believes this fledgling Illinois Company will deliver the ethanol using this new process? GM. That’s right General Motors just became an investor, saying they’ve promised to make 50% of its vehicles E-85-capable in four years, and it’s trying to make sure there’s enough E-85 available.
So is ethanol a flash in the pan of fuel? I don’t think so. I believe we are finally committed to becoming self sufficient in our energy security. The source of ethanol may change and the procedure for producing it may change as well. But in the meantime, necessity continues to
be the Mother of Invention and segments of Agriculture are the current beneficiary. That’s Colleen’s Comment, and I’ll see you soon, the Lord and weather willing.
Sources: “The Lure of Ethanol From Cellulose” – Illinois Corn Growers Association
USA TODAY, January 13, 2008
email: colleencall@sbcglobal.net
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