[Ethan]

Utilizing the destructive ability of termites (that eat canvases in nature) to create ethanol is opening new doors to ethanol production. Microbes are abundant in nature, some are useful to humans; and others are harmful. Scientist have studied termites for many years and recently were able to utilize them into converting agricultural leftovers to fuel. A wide range of options exist that utilize nature’s bacteria, enzymes, and DNA into converting waste-to-fuel. There are about 200 microbe types that live in termites’ bellies that allow microbes to convert cellulose into energy. Such microbes, or their DNA, could be used to produce ethanol-making enzymes. Some researchers have been able to genetically engineer microbes that help produce ethanol.

Microbes may play a significant role in the future of ethanol production because hey offer an easy and an inexpensive method to create Ethanol, much like brewing beer. By having microbes that reduce all plant waste into sugars, not only will they save us time and effort but will also increase the ability to create ethanol by converting the whole plant into ethanol, not just the corn. This means that straw, corn stalks, and other inedible agricultural leftovers can now be converted into fuel. Ethanol produced using this method is called "cellulosic ethanol".

Cellulose is that wood-like stuff found in branches and stems that make plants hard.

An Ottawa-based company called Iogen is already producing ethanol by utilizing a fungus called Trichoderma reesei. This fungus has the ability to break down straw into sugars that can be easily turned into alcohol by fermentation (which brewers have done for centuries). Visit Iogen’s website for more info: http://www.iogen.ca

Also, The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena is studying termites in search for microbes and their enzymes that could turn cellulose into energy.

Ethanol production is booming, and the technological developments make this field an exciting and dynamic one.. Using plant energy is using the sun's energy, this is definitely the best way to go when it comes to making our own fuel.

One concern I have is, what effects will creating such genetically modified bacteria have on nature.

Resources:
http://www.iogen.ca
http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4490896
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70208-0.html
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2006-02-12-bug-juice_x.htm

[Guest]

An Enzyme is a protein that catalyzes, or speeds up, a chemical reaction.
Certain RNAs also have catalytic activity, but to differentiate them from protein enzymes, they are referred to as RNA enzymes or ribozymes.
More than 5,000 enzymes are known... Enzymes are essential to sustain life because most chemical reactions in biological cells would occur too slowly, or would lead to different products, without enzymes.... Like all catalysts, enzymes work by lowering the activation energy of a reaction, thus allowing the reaction to proceed much faster. Enzymes may speed up reactions by a factor of many millions. An enzyme, like any catalyst, remains unaltered by the completed reaction and can therefore continue to function. Because enzymes, like all catalysts, do not affect the relative energy between the products and reagents, they do not affect equilibrium of a reaction. However, the advantage of enzymes compared to most other catalysts is their sterio-, regio- and chemoselectivity and specificity... While all enzymes have a biological role, some enzymes are used commercially for other purposes. Many household cleaners use enzymes to speed up chemical reactions ( i.e., breaking down protein or starch stains in clothes)... Visit the source of info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme

[Ethan]

I keep hearing that research is being conducted on Cellulosic Ethanol, and that it works in theory but not in practice. I want to know what these people who claim that more research is needed are talking about!

Iogen is a Canadian company that already producing Cellulose ethanol.

I quote their site:

The difference between the two types of ethanol products (Cellulose ethanol and conventional grain based) is that conventional fuel ethanol is derived from grains such as corn and wheat. Cellulose ethanol is made from the non-food portion of renewable feedstocks such as cereal straws and corn stover.

Cellulose ethanol is a fully renewable, advanced biofuel that can be used in today's cars. It is one of the most cost effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and gasoline consumption use in road transport, and can deliver CO2 reduction benefits similar to improved vehicle efficiency.

Iogen uses enzymes that can break down the cellulose matter into alcohol. This is the answer people were waiting for, you do not need to use corn or any eatable plant for this. With enzyms we can convert waste into fuel.


Isn't this the dream we are all seeking?


Here's how they do it, I quote:

Process Overview
Iogen technology makes it economically feasible to convert biomass into cellulose ethanol using a combination of thermal, chemical and biochemical techniques. The yield of cellulose ethanol is more than 340 litres per tonne of fibre. The lignin in the plant fibre is used to drive the process by generating steam and electricity, thus eliminating the need for fossil CO2 sources such as coal or natural gas.

Technology Innovations

Pretreatment
Iogen developed an efficient pretreatment method to increase the surface area and "accessibility" of the plant fibre to enzymes. We achieve this through our modified steam explosion process. This improves ethanol yields, increases pretreatment efficiency, and reduces overall cost.

Enzyme Production
Iogen has new, highly potent and efficient cellulase enzyme systems tailored to the specific pretreated feedstock. Iogen already has a worldwide business making enzymes for the pulp and paper, textiles and animal feed industries.


Enzymatic Hydrolysis
Iogen developed reactor systems that feature high productivity and high conversion of cellulose to glucose. This is accomplished through separate hydrolysis and fermentation using a multi-stage hydrolysis process.


Ethanol Fermentation
Iogen uses advanced microorganisms and fermentation systems that convert both C6 and C5 sugars into ethanol. The "beer" produced by fermentation is then distilled using conventional technology to produce cellulose ethanol for fuel grade applications.


Process Integration
Large-scale process designs include energy efficient heat integration, water recycling, and co-product production that make the overall process efficient and economical. Iogen has successfully validated these improvements within its demonstration scale cellulose ethanol facility.


Kudos to Iogen!