BERKELEY, Calif. --- A study released today by University of California at Berkeley researchers refutes the longstanding argument that making ethanol for gasoline consumes more energy than it creates, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The research paper also concluded that ethanol made from corn provides little improvement over petroleum-based fuel when measuring greenhouse gas emissions. However, the researchers found that cellulosic ethanol, made from such materials as willow trees and switch grass, shows great potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Ethanol's effect on emissions depends on its raw components and how they're converted to ethanol. The research project’s findings will be published Friday in the journal Science. Alexander Farrell and five of his colleagues at UC Berkeley conducted the study, which reviewed and re-created the results of six major studies on ethanol’s relative energy efficiency.
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