Fill'er Up, With Fuel Made In Oregon
Making fuel from things that grow in the soil sounds great in theory. But the development of biofuels has brought a flurry of controversies, above all the food vs. fuel debate.
Critics contend that biofuels will increase world hunger by turning food crop farming into energy farming, causing higher food prices and food shortages.
Advocates counter that biofuels can be produced sustainably, creating economic diversity in rural areas without depleting food crops...
...ZeaChem Inc., a demonstration biorefinery scheduled to open in late 2011 in Boardman, intends to mimic nature by using a naturally occurring bacteria found in termites and cows' digestive tracts to convert the cellulose of GreenWood's farm-grown poplar trees into ethanol. "We'd be using poplar trees as our primary feedstock," says ZeaChem's Carrie Atiyeh, director of public affairs. "But we may also purchase additional resources, such as wheat straw and other field residue from Eastern Oregon farmers."
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