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."

乙醇工业受到了恶劣的经济形势的打击，象维拉阳公司这样的大生产商纷纷关闭工厂并申请破产。那些幸存下来的公司也正在恳求政府官员们能够增加可与汽油混用的乙醇的用量，声称这样能促进需求，产生数千个职位，并能加速可行的纤维素乙醇时代的到来。

乙醇生产商想让环保署将汽油中混合的乙醇量从10％提高到15％，说这样每年可以增加60亿加仑对乙醇的需求。汽车制造商对这个想法很怀疑，声称这样会损坏车辆，环保署还没有表示将怎样作出回应。

我们都听到过反对以玉米和其它粮食作物为原料生产乙醇的争论，但乙醇生产商宣称，推进这种方式的生产将会加速可行的产自木片、柳枝稷和其它植物纤维的纤维素乙醇时代的到来。

“为了获得第二代的乙醇燃料，你必须获得第一代的，”再生能源协会执行总裁鲍勃.达尼恩告诉“连线”网站说：“我确信以玉米为原料的乙醇不会成为纤维素乙醇成功的障碍。但也要理解在这两种燃料互相依存的同时，它们也会走上两条不同的成功的道路。”

美国能源部表示，比照需要生产的能量的总量，纤维素乙醇提供了比玉米乙醇更多的能量，超过了生产总量的54％。并且，传统的玉米乙醇可放出比汽油少10％到20％的温室气体，而以纤维素为原料的乙醇在任何地方都可以少80％至100％——换句话说，它是碳中性的。它也可以消弥限制从粮食作物中提炼乙醇的“粮食换燃料”的争论。

问题是，在美国没有人能够以可与玉米乙醇竞争的成本大量生产出纤维素乙醇。能源部表示，生产纤维素乙醇的成本几乎是传统的两倍，并且，虽然有奥巴总统2500万美元的对“下一代生物燃料刺激计划”的支持，但从缺少风险资本到缺少生产资源的种种情况一直困扰着这一工业。因此，纤维素工业对促进所谓汽油中的“第一代”乙醇产量的支持作用形成了。

“当纤维素乙醇仍处在发展阶段的时候，我们应该尽我们的所能来帮助玉米乙醇达到可再生燃料标准，”雷奇燃料公司首席执行官大卫.奥尔德斯告诉“连线”网说：“玉米乙醇燃料产品不久就会受到限制，而可再生燃料标准将有利于纤维乙醇。这可以增加纤维素乙醇燃料的价值，并产生附加利益。”

奥尔德斯指的是《2007年能源独立与安全法》的一部分，该法要求环保署执行各项法规，保证汽油混合特定量的诸如乙醇、丁醇和生物柴油等可再生燃料。环保署的“可再生燃料标准计划”将逐步增加与汽油混合的乙醇的量，从去年应用的92亿加仑增加到2022年的360亿加仑。这项法规要求他们今年应用大约110亿加仑。

为了促进从玉米乙醇到纤维素乙醇的转变，从2012年起，法规将玉米乙醇的用量限制在了每年150亿吨.从那时起，必须由纤维素乙醇生产的燃料的数量要不断递增，直到在2022年突破每年210亿加仑。

一旦被提纯后，纤维素乙醇和玉米乙醇就不可分辨了；一加仑就是一加仑，都能够产生同体积汽油的三分之二的能量。“玉米乙醇甚至可以与纤维素乙醇相混合，”奥尔德斯说：“事实上，我们预期到混用两种燃料有助于引起对纤维素乙醇更多的需求，并为它创造更多成功的机会。”

环保署正在考虑这一产业的要求，根据美联社的说法，它将“在最有效的科学研究基础上”作出决定。