GM and Coskata have joined hands to give ethanol a broader dimension. Current ethanol is produced using the chemical breakdown of sugar laden crops, such as corn and sugar cane. This makes ethanol more expensive and extremely agriculture dependent (The main problem with ethanol is on the supply side – limited supply generally with associated costs as well as secondary economic impacts, e.g., raising food prices).Their new strategy promises to make ethanol cheaply and efficiently from virtually anything organic based, such as used tires, crop waste, sewage, household kitchen waste, yard waste etc. The new cellulosic ethanol promises $1 per gallon from waste. Surely in the present scenario hydrogen holds the upper hand, but things might not remain the same in the years to come.
GM’s approach starts rather traditionally by putting the various organic waste materials, such as tires, crops, crop waste and yard waste into a grinder. The remaining powder is then exposed to plasma, which causes the organic powder to ferment, releasing carbon-chain gas. It rises into the air where natural anaerobic bacteria eats the gas molecules and excretes ethanol and water vapor. This mixture then rises, and travels through a series of tubes with a separating membrane.The yield is pure water and pure ethanol.
Via: Daily Tech
