With the push to produce more alternate fule sources, the search is on for ways to keep corn on the
table rather than in the gas tank. Looking beyond food crops, researchers say the biofule of the future
could be cellulosic crops, roadside grass, discarded grain stalks, even simple table scraps. So far,
the cost, associated with adding enzyme to the crops have been prohibitive - about five to six dollars
per gallon of fuel. But researchers say the benifits are worth it. "If we develop these type of resource
base further in the first half of the century, we could even cover about one third of the global future
energy demand."
The food-versus-fule debate has pegged much of the blame for rising food costs on biofuel production.
But some industry proponents disagree. "All vegetable oils in the world, which is used for bio-disel
production, you talk about one or two percent. And again also if you look at facts systems of the rising
food prices and the dropping food prices that we saw of last few months, that has much more to do with
the speculation."
The U.S. Department of agriculture claims only a 3 percent increase in food costs can be blamed on
biofuels. But a World Bank report puts that number much higher - about 70 to 75%. Producing biofuels
without compromising food stocks will remain a challenge for some time. And progress is being made on
cellulosic ethanol. Scientists at Michigan State University are looking at genetically engineering
crops to produce their own enzymes and that will bring the cost down two dollars a gallon.
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* alternate 대체의
* cellulosic : 셀룰로오스의
* discard : 버리다
* stalk : 줄기
* scrap : 부서진 조각
* enzyme : 효소
* prohibitive : 터무니없이 비싼, 엄청난
* benefit 이득
* demand 수요
* debate 논쟁
* peg 고정시키다
* proponent 찬성론자
* speculation 투기
* The U.S. Department of agriculture : 미국 농무부
* claim 주장하다
* compromising : 손상시키는
* genetically 유전적인
