Click Here

Forestry Prof Says Corn Ethanol Plan Is Barking Up the Wrong Tree

NCSU Professor Looks to Trees for Ethanol Source

With gas prices on the rise and interest in alternative fuels rising along with them, researchers at N.C. State University are trying to grow solutions, like turning trees into ethanol.

Corn has gotten the biggest buzz in ethanol discussions, but Dr. Vincent L. Chiang has landed a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to pursue his idea of tree ethanol.

“Corn is not enough, and the problem is not whether corn is a good material to make ethanol or not, There's simply just not enough. We need all kinds of plant material, says Chiang, a professor of forestry and co-director of the school’s Forest Biotechnology Group.

The idea is to make a new breed of tree that grows faster to produce more fuel. The trees in Chiang’s NC State greenhouse have grown over 4 feet in four months.

“It's a better breed of tree so that it can produce more raw material, cellulose. Then the cellulose can be made into glucose, which is then fermented into ethanol,” Chiang explained.

The experiments are going on while other research on ethanol continues. Chiang says he's waiting for advances in ethanol conversion before trying to get his idea on the commercial market.

A conventional pulp tree needs 10 to 15 years to be ready to harvest. Chiang's cellulose-yielding variety is mature in two to three years.

He said he has heard from critics who don't like the idea of cutting down trees for fuel, or who don't like the idea of genetically altering trees.

“What they don't understand is we would produce our specific type of tree on a tree farm, a fiber farm or ethanol farm. We would always be rotating our crop and leave the natural variations alone,” Chiang says.

Some have referred to Chiang’s project as "Woodstock revisited," a reference to the 1969 music festival. He takes it as a compliment.

“I was born in that age, the Woodstock age, so actually, I like that very much,” he says.



17 Comments


Golo

Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.

You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.

View Comments View Comments

Photo Spotlight
0
1
2
3
4
5
[+] more photos | submit your photos
Report It
Send us your news photos, videos, tips and story ideas.
Submit Videos Submit Photos Submit Reports
  1. 2009christmasparade
    Bands, marchers in holiday parade

    Choose your group to watch their performance in the 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade.

  2. 2009christmasparade26
    Web only: Complete 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade

    Watch the parade in its entirety from the comfort of your computer any time.

  3. taxes
    Search for missing IRS refunds

    The Internal Revenue Service released the names this week of more than 100,000 taxpayers who have not received their 2009 income tax refund.

  4. County Unemployment Rates
    North Carolina unemployment rates

    View an interactive map with county unemployment numbers.

  5. Drought Map
    A year of N.C. Drought Maps

    View a time lapse animation of drought conditions during the last year.

Click Here