Eco Factor: High-energy fuel made from renewable biomass.
Researchers at Gevo, a startup company in Colorado, have found out a way to convert plant scraps into jet fuel. The company has engineered yeast that helps convert the cellulose found in wood chips and plant stalks into butanol, which is an ingredient of gasoline. The butanol can further be modified to produce jet fuel.
Butanol has 30 percent more energy than an equal amount of biofuel such as ethanol. The company uses yeast to digest plant starch into sugars, which are later fermented. Since butanol packs more energy than ethanol, butanol burns more efficiently and can deliver more miles per gallon.
Moreover, the molecular structure of butanol allows it to be readily converted into chemical products that refineries make from petroleum fuels. The company has yet to demonstrate the use of technology at a commercial scale, after which the cost of producing the product will be known.
Via: Technology Review
