With its cities, industry and traffic congestion, the Chesapeake Bay region is known more for its energy consumption than energy production. But that could change, perhaps within a decade or so, if officials in Maryland and neighboring states are willing to invest in cellulosic ethanol.
In layman's terms, that's the production of alcohol from the fermentation of stalks, stems and wood chips that contain glucose. Cellulosic ethanol is one of the most promising technologies within the field of biofuel production. Though the technology is still in its infancy, the possibilities are exciting. Instead of using expensive feed grains such as corn or soybeans to make ethanol, distillers would be able to use cheap plant material - stuff that's regarded as little more than waste or weeds - to produce billions of gallons of fuel.
This is an opportunity that Maryland should not miss for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the production of cellulose could pay a huge environmental dividend. By planting such native species as switch grass as border or cover crops or even on marginal land, researchers believe the amount of nitrogen run-off from farms (a leading source of pollution into the Chesapeake) could be reduced substantially.
