Alternative Power

Alcohol Fuel From Straw

Ethanol fuel was originally hailed as the savior of both farm country and the environment in 1992. Ressurected again in the new millenium, we have found that since its introduction, ethanol hasn't exactly stolen the renewable energy spotlight.

The problem isn't performance: Ethanol does burn cleaner than petroleum products. On the contrary, the problem lies with growth and production.

Mostly made from corn, a heavy feeding plant, ethanol production eats up a good deal of fuel. Cornfields are addicted to oil: oil for pesticides, extra oil for fertilizers, oil for planting and oil for harvesting. All that oil use takes a little of the shine off ethanol's clean record.

But corn isn't the end-all and be-all of alcohol fuels. The Logen Corporation of Ottawa, Ontario, has developed a process that produces ethanol from much less energy-intensive sources, such as wood chips and straw. The process is very similar to ethanol production from corn or, for that matter, alcohol made for human consumption.

Logen's demonstration plant went online earlier this year. The plant turns straw from nearby wheat and barley fields into ethanol that is then sold to local reblenders. The plant is currently the only one of its kind in the world, although logen is looking for places to expand, including the Canadian prairie, U.S. Midwest and the United Kingdom.

A video showing the basic principles of alcohol distillation

Please visit our Kind sponsors!