Why even bother with corn ethanol? Isn cellulosic really the future?
Corn-based ethanol is clearly the growth engine for U.S.-based ethanol production today and for years into the future. Cellulose technology production is progressing, but still 3-5 years away from being commercially viable. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 established an expanded Renewable Fuels Standard that includes a cellulosic ethanol requirement of 100 million gallons by 2010, increasing to 3 billion gallons by 2015. By 2022, the cellulosic ethanol requirement is set at 16 billion gallons of the overall 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels.
