January 1, 2007
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmIs Ethanol for the Long Haul?
Ethanol could displace gasoline, but it won't pay off until we find a way to distill cornstalks, not corn
By Matthew L. Wald
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
The airport terminal in Sioux Falls, S.D., could be anywhere, until you reach the baggage claim area. Between the carousels is a green and white Indy-style race car, covered with decals that indicate it runs on ethanol. Approach the rent-a-car booths, and you will see a sign taped to the countertop reminding customers not to pump E85, the ultraethanol blend sold locally, into the rental cars because they are not designed for it and it will ruin their engines.
This is ethanol country, the center of the national push to turn carbohydrates into hydrocarbons.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber