MICROBES KEY TO MAKING ETHANOL

It seems that certain one-celled microbes are beginning to show great promise in enabling the production of ethanol to become even more efficient. In Brazil, where a large number of automobiles are running on ethanol made from sugar cane, America has meanwhile been producing ethanol from the slightly lower yielding corn harvest. (Yep, I believe sugar subsidies are one obstacle here). American ethanol primarily comes from the kernel itself, which requires more land than we have to dedicate to the process.

It has long been known that cellulose from corn and rice STALKS can also yield what we want, but the process of turning cellulose into sugar, from which it could then ferment into the ethanol we need, has needed a boost. Cellulose is what makes plants hard, it usually is this quality which makes it inedible, and thus an ideal source for ethanol stock. Well, that breakthrough seems to be in the offing. From the article:

"Researchers are now exploring various ways to exploit microbes, the one-cell creatures that serve as the first link of life's food chain. One company uses the microbe itself to make ethanol. Others are taking the genes that make the waste-to-fuel enzymes and splicing them into common bacteria. What's more, a new breed of "synthetic biologists" are trying to produce the necessary enzymes by creating entirely new life forms through DNA.

Bush's endorsement of the waste-to-energy technology has renewed interest in actually supplanting fossil fuels as a dominant energy source -- a goal long dismissed as pipe dream.

"We have been at this for 25 years and we had hoped to be in commercial production by now," said Jeff Passmore, an executive vice president at ethanol-maker Iogen Inc. "What the president has done is -- perhaps -- put some wind in the sails."Ottawa-based Iogen is already producing ethanol by exploiting the destructive nature of the fungus Trichoderma reesei, which caused the "jungle rot" of tents and uniforms in the Pacific theater during World War II.

Through a genetic modification known as directed evolution, Iogen has souped up fungus microbes so they spew copious amounts of digestive enzymes to break down straw into sugars. From there, a simple fermentation -- which brewers have been doing for centuries -- turns sugar into alcohol. "

This is no longer a chicken or the egg dilemma, the automakers CAN deliver flex-fuel vehicles which will run on ethanol or gasoline, and they can do so now without any availability of ethanol, because the technology is not expensive. In Brazil they simply passed a law mandating that new automobiles had to be flex-fuel equipped. Volkswagen, Ford, GM, and Renault all delivered, and have been selling these vehicles there since 1998. GM is selling some now in the US, as is Ford. The technology consists of a sensor which tells the engine computer the composition of the fuel, and the computer simply changes the spark advance to accomodate the altered explosion whithin the combustion chamber. These vehicles can run on any combination of ethanol or gas mixture, but studies have found the optimum mix is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

We are already seeing that people are buying these vehicles even though they cannot get ethanol in this area just yet. Imagine if the automakers are able to deliver oh, 25% flex-fuel capable within two years, enough demand will be created to cause the ethanol to proliferate. There is already some incentive for the automakers to produce them, through credits toward CAFE, which in recent years hasn't been much of an incentive. My understanding is that talks are under way to provide some government aid for legacy costs in exchange for building more flex-fuel vehicles.

Once they're on the road, I believe you will see very rapid advances made in the ethanol production industry, and America will be on its way to reducing significantly its dependence on foreign petroleum.