"Cellulosic ethanol is not a threat to the conventional ethanol business"
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060201/NEWS09/602010359/1056Bush touts ethanol made from crop waste, wood chips
By PHILIP BRASHER
REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU
February 1, 2006
Washington, D.C. — President Bush is pushing a new kind of ethanol - made from crop waste and wood chips, rather than corn - as a way to cut the use of foreign oil.
"Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years," Bush said in his State of the Union message Tuesday.
Scientists have been working for years on economical methods of breaking down plant fiber, or cellulose, into the sugars needed for fermentation into alcohol. The technology also would make conventional ethanol plants more efficient, since it would be possible to make ethanol from the fiber found in corn kernels.
"We are excited about the president recognizing (ethanol) tonight. The renewables have really come of age," said Leon Corzine, chairman of the National Corn Growers Association.
Bush called for federal money for additional research on cellulosic ethanol but didn't say how much more. "By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past," Bush said.<snip>