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September 14, 2006

Get More Fiber in Your Diet

...'and things start moving more efficiently' works for cars, too.

Honda Develops New Way to Make Biofuel
Honda Motor Co. has developed a way to make ethanol fuel from plant waste matter in a process that has the potential to expand the use of biofuels that fight global warming, the Japanese automaker said Thursday.

Existing bio-ethanol production faces supply limits because it uses sugar and starch of sugarcane or from corn, both of which are also utilized as food. By tapping far greater supplies of inedible plant matter, such as stalks, leaves and rice straw, the new fuel takes a step toward making biofuels more practical, Tokyo-based Honda said in release.


How'd they do it?
...Honda and RITE said they had overcome a major obstacle that limited how much ethanol could be made from cellulosic biomass. A microorganism developed by RITE helps reduce interference in the fermentation process, allowing for far more efficient ethanol production, the partners said.

“This achievement solves the last remaining fundamental hurdle to ethanol production from soft biomass,” RITE researcher Hideaki Yukawa told a news conference in Tokyo.


Dang, that's just cool beans.

Posted by tree hugging sister at September 14, 2006 12:15 PM

Comments

Dang, that's just cool beans.

They can use beans, too? Huzzah.

Posted by: Nightfly at September 14, 2006 01:23 PM

"A microorganism developed by RITE"

So, are the enviroweenies going to reverse their objections to GM organisms, or are they going to deplore this as a Frankenstein solution to Global Warming? I love when neo-luddites get caught in this kind of quandary. Too bad their heads don't explode.

Posted by: John at September 14, 2006 01:29 PM

John, I'm sure they want us grow less food for human consumption and divert that biomass to ethanol production. They want humans to dies so dear Gaia isn't so stressed.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at September 14, 2006 01:32 PM

I thought the same thing, John. HA!

But I thought that Mr. Bingley would be dancing on clouds. This is a new means of producting ethanol!!!! That meant there's a new source for different sorts of tipple.

Posted by: The_Real_JeffS at September 14, 2006 02:21 PM

JeffS - it's probably denatured. Not that that would stop Bingley...

Posted by: John at September 14, 2006 02:54 PM

it's probably denatured

No worries on that front ~ if anything's denatural, it's Bingley.

Posted by: tree hugging sister at September 14, 2006 03:16 PM

it's probably denatured.

Why go to all that trouble of genetical engineering just to develop a bug that helps to produce undrinkable alcohol? It goes against de nature! ;-P

And it wouldn't stop Mr. Bingley at all!

Posted by: The_Real_JeffS at September 14, 2006 04:14 PM

undrinkable alcohol?!?!?!?!?!

I feel my strength ebbing...

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at September 14, 2006 06:13 PM