Researchers Studying Switchgrass as Potential Ethanol Crop

The problem with switchgrass is that the means of converting it to ehtanol are very expensive. Once R&D creates a more efficient way to process it, switchgrass will replace corn as a feedstock almost instantly. 1400 gallons of ethanol from switchgrass can be grown on an acre (of marginal land) vice only about 330 galoons from an acre of corn. There are other advantages too. We need a much more vigorous program for switchgrass processing than we're getting now, since using corn will definitely impact the human food chain long before even E-10 is a reality

Similar research was carried out in Eastern Ontario, Canada some 4-5 years ago with encouraging results by Prof. ROGER SAMSON, McGill University, Montreal Quebec More data is available at www.reap-canada.com. Why is corn utilized for ethanol production when switchgrass is proven to generate more ethanol at a lower overall cost. It can be grown on non-productive acreage, unlike corn. Is it possible POLITICS/PROFIT for agricorps
has a bearing on utilizing corn???

Same story for biodiesel and ethanol from algae. Several research projects are currently working up processes for growing algae fed on city sewage, smokestack gases, and fish poop. Since NREL determined that an acre of algae can be converted into thousands of gallons of biodiesel AND thousands of gallons of ethanol annually, there are some obvious advantages over any other crop. It doesn't hurt that the water required for several of these processes can be brackish or laden with industrial waste. See www.oilgae.com and http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html