Corn-husk use studied for ethanol

Corn-based ethanol long has been the alternative of choice, but legislators and a host of companies and non-profit research centers are searching for more efficient ways to fuel America’s auto obsession, looking to diesel, solar power and, most recently, crop waste such as corn husks and cobs.
Kris Berglund, a professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University, said Europeans battle high gas prices by using diesel engines. He thinks the United States should follow the lead of France, where half of the country’s automobiles have diesel engines. “Diesel fuel that uses ethanol is far superior to regular petroleum,” he said. “It is 30 percent more efficient.”

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