The ethanol industry is taking a beating from the bad economy, with big producers like VeraSun and Valero shuttering factories and filing for bankruptcy. Those left standing are pleading with the feds to increase the amount of ethanol that can be blended with gasoline, arguing it will boost demand, produce thousands of jobs and hasten the arrival of viable cellulosic ethanol.

Ethanol producers want the Environmental Protection Agency to raise from 10 percent to 15 percent the amount of ethanol blended with gasoline, saying it would increase demand for their fuel by 6 billion gallons annually. Automakers are leery of the idea, arguing it could damage some vehicles, and the EPA hasn't said how it will respond.

We've all heard the arguments against ethanol derived from corn and other food crops, but ethanol producers claim boosting its viability will hasten the arrival of viable cellulosic ethanol produced from wood chips, switchgrass and other biomass.

"In order to have a second generation of ethanol fuel, you have to have a first generation," Bob Dinneen, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, told Wired.com. "I assure you that corn-based ethanol will not serve as a barrier to the success of cellulosic ethanol. But it must also be understood that while the two fuels are dependent on one another, they are also on two different tracks to success."

The U.S. Department of Energy says cellulosic ethanol provides 54 percent more energy than corn-based ethanol in comparison to the amount of energy required for production. And while conventional corn-based ethanol emits 10 to 20 percent less greenhouse gas than gasoline, the cellulosic stuff emits anywhere from 80 to 100 percent less - in other words, it's carbon-neutral. It also eliminates the food-for-fuel debate that hobbles ethanol refined from food crops.

Trouble is, no one in the U.S. has been able to produce cellulosic ethanol in mass quantities at a cost that can compete with corn ethanol. The Department of Energy says cellulosic ethanol costs almost twice as much to produce, and everything from a lack of venture capital to a lack of resources has plagued the industry despite President Obama's $25 million support for "next generation biofuels-fuels." Hence the cellulosic industry's support for boosting the amount of so-called "first generation" ethanol in gasoline.

"While cellulosic ethanol is still in its developmental stages we should do everything we can to help corn-based ethanol meet the renewable fuels standard," David Aldous, CEO of cellulosic ethanol producer Range Fuels, told Wired.com. "Corn-based ethanol fuel production will soon be capped and the Renewable Fuels Standard will favor cellulosic ethanol. This will add value to cellulosic ethanol fuel and create added interest."

Aldous is referring to a portion of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that requires the EPA to implement regulations ensuring gasoline is blended with specific amounts of renewable fuels such as ethanol, butonol and biodiesel. The EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard Program will slowly increase the amount of ethanol blended with with gasoline from the 9.2 billion gallons used last year to the 36 billion gallons by 2022. The regulation requires them to use about 11 billion gallons this year.

To promote the transition from corn ethanol to cellulosic ethanol, the regulations cap the amount of corn-based ethanol at 15 billion gallons annually beginning in 2012. From then on, the amount of fuel that must be produced from cellulosic ethanol increases incrementally until it tops out in 2022 at 21 billion gallons per year.

Once they're refined, cellulosic and corn-based ethanol are indistinguishable; gallon for gallon, and both yield roughly two-thirds the energy of gasoline. "Corn ethanol can even be blended with cellulosic ethanol," Aldous said. "In fact we anticipate that blending the two fuels will help create more demand for cellulosic ethanol and greater opportunities for it to succeed."

The EPA is considering the industry's request and according to the Associated Press says it will make its decision "based on the best available science."

yichungongyeshoudaoleeliedejingjixingshidedaji，xiangweilayanggongsizheyangdedashengchanshangfenfenguanbigongchangbingshenqingpochan。naxiexingcunxialaidegongsiyezhengzaikenqiuzhengfuguanyuanmennenggouzengjiakeyuqiyouhunyongdeyichundeyongliang，shengchengzheyangnengcujinxuqiu，chanshengshuqiangezhiwei
，bingnengjiasukexingdexianweisuyichunshidaidedaolai。

乙醇生產商想讓環保署將汽油中混合的乙醇量從10％提高到15％
，說這樣每年可以增加60億加侖對乙醇的需求。汽車製造商對這個想法很懷疑，聲稱這樣會損壞車輛，環保署還沒有表示將怎樣作出回應。

我們都聽到過反對以玉米和其它糧食作物為原料生產乙醇的爭論，但乙醇生產商宣稱，推進這種方式的生產將會加速可行的產自木片、柳枝稷和其它植物纖維的纖維素乙醇時代的到來。

“為了獲得第二代的乙醇燃料，你必須獲得第一代的，”再生能源協會執行總裁鮑勃.達尼恩告訴“連線”網站說：“我wo確que信xin以yi玉yu米mi為wei原yuan料liao的de乙yi醇chun不bu會hui成cheng為wei纖xian維wei素su乙yi醇chun成cheng功gong的de障zhang礙ai。但dan也ye要yao理li解jie在zai這zhe兩liang種zhong燃ran料liao互hu相xiang依yi存cun的de同tong時shi，它ta們men也ye會hui走zou上shang兩liang條tiao不bu同tong的de成cheng功gong的de道dao路lu。”

美國能源部表示，比照需要生產的能量的總量
，纖維素乙醇提供了比玉米乙醇更多的能量
，超過了生產總量的54％。並且，傳統的玉米乙醇可放出比汽油少10％到20％的溫室氣體，而以纖維素為原料的乙醇在任何地方都可以少80％至100％——換句話說，它是碳中性的。它也可以消彌限製從糧食作物中提煉乙醇的“糧食換燃料”的爭論。

問wen題ti是shi，在zai美mei國guo沒mei有you人ren能neng夠gou以yi可ke與yu玉yu米mi乙yi醇chun競jing爭zheng的de成cheng本ben大da量liang生sheng產chan出chu纖xian維wei素su乙yi醇chun。能neng源yuan部bu表biao示shi，生sheng產chan纖xian維wei素su乙yi醇chun的de成cheng本ben幾ji乎hu是shi傳chuan統tong的de兩liang倍bei，並bing且qie，雖sui然ran有you奧ao巴ba總zong統tong2500萬美元的對“下一代生物燃料刺激計劃”的支持，但從缺少風險資本到缺少生產資源的種種情況一直困擾著這一工業。因此，纖維素工業對促進所謂汽油中的“第一代”乙醇產量的支持作用形成了。

“當纖維素乙醇仍處在發展階段的時候，我們應該盡我們的所能來幫助玉米乙醇達到可再生燃料標準
，”雷奇燃料公司首席執行官大衛.奧爾德斯告訴“連線”網說：“玉米乙醇燃料產品不久就會受到限製，而可再生燃料標準將有利於纖維乙醇。這可以增加纖維素乙醇燃料的價值，並產生附加利益。”

奧爾德斯指的是《2007年能源獨立與安全法》的一部分
，該法要求環保署執行各項法規，保證汽油混合特定量的諸如乙醇
、丁醇和生物柴油等可再生燃料。環保署的“可再生燃料標準計劃”將逐步增加與汽油混合的乙醇的量，從去年應用的92億加侖增加到2022年的360億加侖。這項法規要求他們今年應用大約110億加侖。

為了促進從玉米乙醇到纖維素乙醇的轉變，從2012年起，法規將玉米乙醇的用量限製在了每年150億噸.從那時起
，必須由纖維素乙醇生產的燃料的數量要不斷遞增，直到在2022年突破每年210億加侖。

一旦被提純後，纖維素乙醇和玉米乙醇就不可分辨了；一加侖就是一加侖
，都能夠產生同體積汽油的三分之二的能量。“玉米乙醇甚至可以與纖維素乙醇相混合，”奧爾德斯說：“事實上，我們預期到混用兩種燃料有助於引起對纖維素乙醇更多的需求，並為它創造更多成功的機會。”

環保署正在考慮這一產業的要求，根據美聯社的說法
，它將“在最有效的科學研究基礎上”作出決定。