Aug 21 2008
Learning About Cellulosic Ethanol
Cellulosic ethanol is a substance that you really need to be aware of. Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel that is produced from wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants. It is starting to replace fuel which is great because it offers many benefits over fossil fuel. Cellulosic ethanol is a type of biofuel that is produced from lignocelluloses, which is a structural material that comprises much of the mass of plants.
Cellulosic ethanol is actually chemically identical to ethanol from other sources, which you are probably more familiar with, such as corn starch or sugar. There are many similarities and differences between regular ethanol and the cellulosic ethanol, and one of the best ways to tell them apart is to take a look at the benefits offered.
This type of ethanol is actually considered by many as being the fuel of the future. Thanks to advances in biotechnology or ethanol biomass, researchers are now able to transform straw and other similar materials into a type of fuel that can be used but which is much more productive and less wasteful and harmful to the environment than our basic fossil fuel.
This ethanol has the potential to substantially reduce our consumption of gasoline for one, and it is at least as likely as hydrogen to be an energy carrier of choice for a sustainable transportation sector.
More than anything it is important to recognize that all ethanol is not the same, and although it is all very beneficial, there are major differences that we must be aware of. Conventional ethanol and this cellulosic type of ethanol are the same product and yet they are produced using very different methods. While the conventional type of ethanol is derived from grains such as corn and wheat, the cellulosic type of ethanol is produced from cellulosic biomass feedstocks such as agricultural plant wastes and energy crops that have been grown specifically for fuel production such as switchgrass.
The Bottom Line
From this you can see the importance of cellulosic ethanol and of what it has to offer us as a nation. We have already seen a number of benefits that are offered to us by this ethanol, and we are sure that there are many others that we are simply not aware of yet.
Ethanol is definitely the fuel of the future and we all need to do our part, including making the switch to ethanol from regular fossil fuel in order to do what we can for the environment.
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