Are there any alternative raw materials that are not suitable for human consumption? What is cellulosic bioethanol?
Due to the fluctuating price of raw materials to produce bioethanol (coliding with a possible human consumption), other less controversial, more abundant, and less costly, sources are being analyzed, such as biomass. Biomass refers to any type of organic waste (mostly of vegetable origin, like agricultural waste, forests cleansing residues, fast-growing plants, cultivated seaweed). This biomass is decomposed into cellulose, which, when appropriately treated, is converted into ethanol, thus becoming cellulosic bioethanol. The main advantage of the use of biomass as a raw material is its greater availability in all geographical regions and climates and therefore, the lower production costs. Experiments with fast-growing crops, with almost no agricultural cost, are bening held, that turn out to be even more profitable. In time, it will be possible to identify this type of fast-growing crops specifically for every region and climate, and optimize the process of each one of them. Government
