BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 27 (UPI) -- University of California at Berkeley scientists found that producing ethanol from corn produces more energy that it consumes.
A debate has raged between the ethanol industry that says ethanol from corn is profitable and good for the environment because it reduces the amount of fossil fuels burned by vehicles and critics that say government incentives mask the fact that making ethanol is a waste of energy, the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus-Leader reported Friday.
The study, published in Science, said two papers that reported that making ethanol wastes energy used data of dubious quality.
However, Alexander Farrell, an author of the new study, says the if the goal is to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which has been linked to global warming -- the best way to make ethanol was from grasses or trees because they use less nitrogen fertilizer and less natural gas.
Farrell's study said ethanol production and use generates 14 percent less greenhouse gas than gasoline.
