GoodFuels
Domestic Energy Production
by Cindy Zimmerman on Nov 6, 2009Bug Genes Hold Cellulosic Ethanol Promise
The ability of some creepy, pesky insects to digest leaves and wood may hold a key to advancing the production of cellulosic ethanol from biomass.
Researchers at the University of Florida have been studying termite guts to figure out what genetic sequencing allows those insects to churn wood into fuel. That ability involves a mixture of enzymes from symbiotic bacteria and other single-celled organisms living in termites’ guts, as well as enzymes from the termites themselves, which could ultimately improve the production of cellulosic ethanol. Once the genetic sequence that produces the enzymes can be isolated, it could be transferred into genetically modified fungi or bacteria, or possibly into other insects, such as caterpillars, to produce the enzymes on an industrial scale.
Meanwhile, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) have been doing similar work with leaf cutter ants. In this case, they are looking at the spongy fungus gardens that the insects grow themselves. Some of these ant communities have a picky appetite and only eat certain types of plant leaves; others are omnivores and digest the cellulose in a wide variety of leaves. GLBRC is studying the fungi and bacteria from these communities to identify microbial enzymes that can help generate fuels from the cellulose, or non-edible, part of the leaf.
“Insects have played an important role in how this planet functions for millions of years,” says University of Flrodia entomologist Mike Scharf. “There are still many ways we can learn to benefit from Earth’s six-legged inhabitants.”
Whatever works.
Unbalanced Reporting
by Cindy Zimmerman on Nov 5, 2009Daily Show Dishes Ethanol Misinformation
Former Vice President Al Gore with Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” this week perpetuated the myth that ethanol is bad for the environment.
During an interview promoting Gore’s new book “Our Choice,” Stewart said that making choices to help the environment can be confusing for people. “We were told ethanol was the answer, turns out that’s worse for the environment,” Stewart said. The former VP, who supported corn-based ethanol while in office, did little to defend the fuel in response to that statement. “Yeah, but the new forms of ethanol that they’re coming up with now actually are not bad for the environment and we can switch to the new kinds that will be much better,” Gore said.
Nice try, but no cigar. “All ethanol, regardless of its source, is more sustainable and environmentally-friendly than gasoline,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen in response to the exchange. “When compared directly to gasoline, ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 60% - and that is with the technologies we have today. New technologies and processes will make current ethanol production as well as future production even more sustainable.”
“Failing to understand the issue and continuing to propagate factually inaccurate information, even on a faux news show, is dangerous and undermines the legitimate debate about our energy future,” said Dinneen, who hopes that Mr. Gore will “visit any of the nation’s ethanol facilities and to attend the industry’s annual conference next February in Orlando, Florida. The RFA would welcome the Vice President to present his ideas and engage in a frank discussion about the role of biofuels in our environmental future.”
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