Ethanol: Our Answer to Reducing U.S. Dependence on Foreign Oil

Tim Plaehn submits: I have come across a couple of interesting news items recently that point towards continued viability and growth for the U.S. ethanol industry. As I have written in the past, I believe the U.S. corn based ethanol industry will grow as a viable part of the country’s vehicle fuel structure. The current environment of high corn prices is pushing these companies towards efficiency and innovation. The ground work they are laying now will lead to increased profitability as ethanol becomes a larger portion of total fuel consumption.The first item is this article about ethanol producer POET expanding into cellulosic ethanol. POET is a privately held ethanol producer that is one of the nations largest, producing over 1 billion gallons per year from 23 plants. The company has announced it has developed the technology to process the corn cobs for additional sugars to refine into ethanol. According to the press release, using the corn cob along with the corn will increase ethanol production by 11% per bushel and 27% per acre of corn. It will be a simple process for farmers to harvest the cobs along with the corn and transport the crops to POET’s ethanol facilities.Complete Story »