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Lowering the Cost of Biofuel Production

Posted by Soulskill on from the baby-steps dept.

sciencehabit writes: 2014 was a banner year for making automotive fuel from nonfood crops, with a series of major new production plants opening in the United States. However, producing this so-called cellulosic ethanol remains considerably more expensive than gasoline. So researchers are always on the lookout for new ways to trim costs. Now they have a new lead: a microbe that can use abundant nitrogen gas as the fertilizer it needs to produce ethanol from plants. The discovery (abstract) is "a major commercial accomplishment for biofuel production," says microbiologist Steven Ricke.

3 of 56 comments (clear)

  1. not in my tank! by swell · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That stuff is nasty! It'll mess up your engine, hurt your gas mileage and do little if anything to clear the atmosphere.

    If we accept it's about cleaner air. And we assume that it burns X% cleaner. And we assume that we will burn X% more fuel over the same distance ... What have we gained? I have seen good arguments for using biodiesel but not ethanol.

    It's all about corporate welfare. Big corporations and well funded universities make a show of looking for clean, efficient alternative fuels while sucking up taxpayer dollars. Where is MY lobbyist? Who will pay to overhaul my engine when it corrodes internally?

    --
    ...omphaloskepsis often...
    1. Re:not in my tank! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sure, it'll mess up your existing engine in your existing vehicle. Theoretically, if an advance such as the one discussed here were to actually reduce the cost of producing ethanol-based fuel to the point where it could compete against gasoline, then that would create a market for new vehicles and new fuels. Car manufacturers already certify their newer vehicles to tolerate the currently-available corn crap that's out there.

      As far as the politics, here in Illinois, it's all about propping up the megafarm corporations which own 99% of the corn farms. The politicians have been trained to vote for anything that boosts business, since that correlates to jobs and tax revenues.

  2. LPG FTW by sydbarrett74 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Could we please slay the ethanol white elephant? It has lousy energy density and is highly corrosive. There are far better fuels out there.

    --
    'He who has to break a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.' -- Gandalf to Saruman