What we're doing right
Beyond corn-fueled commutes
1st December 2007
Using enzymes from the guts of termites could allow us to make ethanol fuel from woody waste rather than food crops, and would reduce emissions by up to 80 per cent to boot
Termites may not help suburban property values – but they could revolutionize homeowners’ commutes. In a recent issue of Nature, scientists identified bacterial enzymes in the insects’ guts that help them digest wood. They hope that these can eventually be harnessed to break down wood and other tough plant material to make “cellulosic” ethanol fuel instead of ethanol made from soy, corn and wheat.
Right now, making ethanol from wood requires too much energy – so these enzymes could be a breakthrough in more efficient production of biofuel. But, according to Eli Hopson of the Union of Concerned Scientists, even cellulosic ethanol won’t transform the transport sector. “We need to make big improvements in the energy efficiency of vehicles.”
Until broader changes can be made, cellulosic ethanol offers a promising alternative to corn-based ethanol. Growing corn requires lots of polluting fertilizers – and using it for fuel drives up the price of food while reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by just 20 per cent. Ethanol from woody materials would not detract from food agriculture and could reduce emissions by up to 80 per cent.
Published in The Green Report in The Globe and Mail
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