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Published: 2007-03-19 16:43:00
Updated: 2007-03-19 18:21:17

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


NCSU Professor Looks to Trees for Ethanol Source
NCSU Professor Looks to Trees for Ethanol Source
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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.

  • Reporter: Mark Roberts
  • Photographer: Terry Cantrell
  • Web Editor: Ron Gallagher

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I wonder why they can't explore the possiblity of converting pest plants like kudzu. You want quck growing? heh.

tbajr -at- aol -dot- com : I'm with you , most people, through no fault of their own, have absolutely no idea of the economic value of hemp and it's many industial / pharmacutical uses that have been put aside in favor of more expensive, more dangerous and less efficient products and of course more and more expensive research, The research has been done ,, It's time to de-criminalize HEMP... Hemp for Victory

This idea sounds very good to me. Many good points. Super fast growing trees--make tons of oxygen and absorb tons of Carbon Dioxide while they grow. They collect and store energy from the sun, which is ultimately converted into fuel. Wow! A potentially endless source of energy.

jmurach- check out Tesla Motors, the next generation electric car is here. They are even looking at Burlington, NC for the production facility for their sedan (comming soon).

I personally think EVERYONE is barking up the wrong tree so to speak, because in the USA we make more waste than anywhere in the world. We don't need to grow fuel, but we need to figure out how to take the waste cellulose and make fuel. Look at landfills, the ever growing compost pile, and algae and hey did I mention garbage?

Waste to energy is what we need, and a whole lot less money spent on "research to grow trees". I know everyone has their idea, but really people if everyone would be more conservative, and a whole lot less wasteful then maybe we can find an alternative.

However, since we are so wasteful - let's get in on the waste to energy conversion and make things happen. 5 pounds of trash per day per person, well I think there is your fuel source!

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