Ethanol Grows as Gas Alternative

Workers are clearing Iowa fields, hoping that if they build it, cars will come. The "it" is a processing plant that turns corn into ethanol, a fuel that is increasingly replacing gasoline today and may help to power the fuel-cell vehicles of tomorrow.

Iowa is home to 16 of the nation's 87 ethanol processing plants, and another seven are under construction, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. Ethanol production increased 21 percent in 2003, to 3.4 billion gallons, the association said.

Demand could skyrocket if the technology for converting ethanol into hydrogen is commercialized and the federal government mandates increased use of the fuel in automobiles.

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