Honda and its partner, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) said today that they have discovered a new method that allows large volumes of ethanol to be produced from widely available waste wood, leaves and other soft biomass.
The new process using a microorganism developed by RITE allows for far more efficient ethanol production from cellulosic biomass.
Current methods of Ethanol production use food crops like corn and sugar beets. Large scale production of fuel using food stock may stress the food supply which in turn raises prices of food commodities, ultimately setting the stage for a battle between food and fuel.
Cellulosic biomass could use waste products from farming such as grass, corn waste or in Honda’s case since they are in Japan, rice straw. Honda plans to set up a pilot production plant in 2008 to test commercial production.
http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14831968/from/ET/
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8K4NNJ82.htm
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