But what is ethanol's primary liability? Almost all of the ethanol currently produced in the U.S. comes from corn, and many blame ethanol production for higher food prices. There's plenty of political debate about that point, but it's pretty much agreed that making fuel from an important food crop probably isn't a great long-term strategy.
But that may change thanks to an intriguing new effort from an Illinois start-up company called Coskata.
The company produces "cellulosic" ethanol not by distilling corn but by superheating all kinds of waste - including everyday garbage - into a synthetic gas and "feeding" it to special microbes.
The patented bacteria feast on the gas and secrete, most conveniently, almost pure ethanol.
Source: Washington Times
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