Greenlings: What is cellulosic ethanol and how does it fit with green cars?

Posted by in Auto Green on 02 19th, 2009 | no responses

Click above for high-res gallery of the ethanol Hummer There is a lot of controversy surrounding biofuels. Various studies have shown that crop-based biofuels contribute to global warming more than they help prevent it , that ethanol is no better than gasoline , and that South East Asian rainforests are suffering for biofuels, to name just three. The most dramatic recent claim was that ethanol was the worst type of renewable energy . Currently, popular fuel crops include sugar cane (in Brazil), sugar beets (Europe), and corn (United States). The good news is that you don’t need to grow crops for the express purpose of making them into ethanol to create the biofuel. You can also use beer byproducts or get help from sea grubs , among many other methods. When you use these non-crop alternative methods, the result is often called cellulosic ethanol. Since ethanol has all sorts of negative connotations, some suggest we rename the fuel. ” Celluline ” is one possibility, but for this post we’ll stick with cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is the main face of so-called second-generation biofuels. It’s called “cellulosic” because it is made from lignocellulose. Lignocellulose, in turn, is made up of lignin and cellulose that is present in the cell walls of woody plants. Follow us past the jump for an expanded primer on cellulosic ethanol and it’s place in green motoring today. Gallery: AFVI Ride & Drive Ethanol Hummer Continue reading Greenlings: What is cellulosic ethanol and how does it fit with green cars? Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies , Ethanol , Flex-Fuel , AutoblogGreen Exclusive Greenlings: What is cellulosic ethanol and how does it fit with green cars? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green