News Summary: Ethanol industry turns to scraps

DROUGHT RELIEF: The breakthrough comes at a key time for the industry, after the drought heightened criticism about the vast amount of corn used to brew ethanol instead of using it for animal feed. Diverting the crop toward ethanol made corn prices to soar.

TOUGH BREAK: To produce ethanol from woody parts of plants, scientists had to find a way to break lignin — tough fibers in stems, trees and corn stalks.