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Ethanol From Waste Straw

Posted by michael on from the rumpelstiltzkin dept.

phcrack writes "The CBC is reporting that 'Iogen Corporation of Ottawa has developed enzymes to break down waste straw and wood chips into ethanol on a commercial scale.' Apparently traditional ethanol from food crops like corn used at least as much energy to create as they released when burned. It's nice to see that big oil companies are helping fund a project like this too. It's very rare today to hear of a major company throwing money at a research project since the '80s."

1 of 449 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Research (can be) smart business. by druxton · · Score: 0, Troll

    From the post: Apparently traditional ethanol from food crops like corn used at least as much energy to create as they released when burned.

    From the parent: That is, the product will produce more energy than it takes to manufacture it.

    Thanks for your keen understanding of entropy and the Laws of Thermodynamics.