Ethanol could be the fuel of the future thanks to studies done by researchers at Washington University. They have discovered a process by which fermenting bacteria are guided into breaking down the waste products during the process into methane, which can be pumped back into the plant to power it, thus cutting down on the amount of power needed to produce ethanol as much as 50%! Greenhouse gas emissions are also cut down considerably by this process.
As of now, ethanol only provides 26% more energy than what is used to produce it. With this new technology the numbers leap to about 70%! Even with additional energy losses in commercial operation taken into consideration that is still a massive improvement. It still might be some time before this becomes a full-scale operation but this is a major step toward solving the ever growing energy crisis. I’m sure it won’t be long before alcohol becomes the fuel of the future. Cheers!
via: EcoGeek
