Better Ethanol through Grass

摘要

For making ethanol, switchgrass appears to be a feasible choice-and a better one than corn. Working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers grew and monitored the native North American perennial, which often naturally grows on the borders of croplands. Specifically, they tracked the seed used to establish the plant, the fertilizer used to boost its growth, the fuel consumed to farm it and the overall rainfall that the areas received.