A California company will soon start building a biorefinery that will turn waste rice straw into ethanol. Colusa Biomass Energy Corporation said a feasibility study by consultancy Harris Group encouraged the company to proceed with plans to design the ethanol plant.

According to Colusa one acre of waste rice straw will yield 313 gallons of fuel ethanol. That's nearly 75 percent higher yield per acre than corn, a better utilization of resources. The company says the rice straw has little to no commercial value and nothing would be taken out of the food chain.

Researchers in Japan are similarly testing a process for turning rice straw residue into ethanol.

Rice, sugar beets, corn and plant cellulose -- hopefully these alternatives to corn-based ethanol can ease pressure on the corn market and food supply.