Abstract

Rising energy prices and environmental problems have led to increased interest in alcohol as a fuel. Using corn, a human food resource, for ethanol production raises major ethical and moral issues. Today, malnourished people in the world number approximately 3 billion (WHO 2000). The current food shortages throughout the world call attention to the importance of using U.S. exports of corn and other grains for human food and search for alternative sources for biofuel production. For the production of cellulosic ethanol, residue including postharvest corn plants (stover) and timber residues could be used. There is a growing awareness among farmers to establish and use specialized high-biomass “energy crops” such as domesticated poplar trees, switchgrass, bamboo, and Paulownia. The United States uses approximately 140 billion gal of gasoline per year, and there is a growing urgency to replace it with biological resources or biomass (US DOE 2006).