By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center will focus on developing new ways of producing ethanol, a corn-based product that shows promise as a long-term alternative to fossil fuels.
More than two billion gallons of ethanol are produced in the U.S. each year. Center director Rodney Bothast says projects performed at the new facility will help boost that figure to five billion within 10 years:
"And that means that new technology is going to have to come to the marketplace, and that's what this is all about," Bothast said. "And it's broader than just fuel ethanol it means the co-products; they might be food products, they might be industrial products...it all interfaces into this scenario."
The dedication comes just a few weeks before Congress is expected to complete work on a new national energy policy bill containing provisions for renewable fuels.