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Researchers Develop Biofuel Alternative To Ethanol

Posted by samzenpus on from the new-and-improved dept.

coondoggie writes "Researchers say they have developed a method of using bacteria to convert decaying grass directly into isobutanol, which can be burned in regular car engines with a heat value higher than ethanol but similar to gasoline. The research could mean great savings in processing costs and time, plus isobutanol is a higher grade of alcohol than ethanol, according to the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) and its Oak Ridge National Laboratory"

3 of 320 comments (clear)

  1. I have seen that work by happyhacker1 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Unfortunately that fuel, destroys in long run the car engine even faster that ethanol.

  2. Peoples still seem not to get it by happyhacker1 · · Score: -1, Troll

    To grow enough fuel to make New York drive on biofuel for a month, we will need to a full year of production
    of a field twice the size of Texas.
    Its nice, yea, but really, the only way to save our butt from peak oil/global warming is to decrease energy consumption dramaticaly.

    Like live next to work, use bicycles, etc...

    Remember these Pentium 4D 150 W heaters?

  3. Nah, there are better ways by happyhacker3 · · Score: -1, Troll

    I recently have seen an article about a bacteria that can harvest sunlight and thus turn slowly any fluid into biofuel. Image lakes of it? Or maybe even oceans? Of course that’s just a research, so probably just another non working idea.