Why cant we use Starch as alternate source (1 Viewer)

[mtsmahia]

In the course we are saying that cellulose and starch can be used as an alternative for crude oil for polymers. However the focus is on the amount of energy it takes to convert Cellulose into glucose.
If that is the case why cant we use starch ? Is it cheaper than cellulose

 

[Lukybear]

Starch is a valuable resource for food. Thus it has economic value and would prove inefficent and far too costly for commercialisation as an alternate resource. Currently also, Australia dose not have enough arable land for sufficent growth of cellulose for the production of ethanol as a an alternate resource, let alone growing stach which is a valuable food material. This means using starch would deprive a food resource, such as potatoes. Thus the concern is placed upon cellulose, which make up a large percentage of waste from agriculture, such as molasses the waste product of sugar milling.