U of Missouri Expert: Ethanol Success Depends On 3 Key Factors

Sep 6, 2007 4:54 PM, By Jim Langcuster
Auburn Uinversity

Ethanol will succeed, but only if three factors continue working in its favor, says one expert. Those factors include the state of the petroleum market, government policy and technological development, says Pat Westhoff, program director of the Food and Agriculture Policy Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri.

Technology is a big factor, he says. Westhoff believes ethanol’s prospects partly hinge on whether the industry successfully completes the transition to a new line of biomass feedstock, better known by some as cellulosic sources — forestry products, agricultural waste and switchgrass to name a few.

A lot of research is under way to make this happen. And if it does happen, it “could make a huge difference in what the industry will look like in the years ahead,” Westhoff says.

But that corner has yet to be turned and until it is, the industry’s fate will remain uncertain.

For now, ethanol production has spiked, totaling about 6 billion gallons and is likely to grow by another 6 billion gallons when new plants come on line.

“With that kind of return, it’s not surprising there has been a lot of investment in ethanol plants,” says Westhoff.

Southeast Farm Press, Sept. 7, 2007