Scientists Create New Gasoline Substitute Out Of Plants

With yesterday's post about a new designed, highly efficient engine, I thought I'd add a note about a new biofuel.

The folks at UC Berkley have created a fuel from a process that "uses a century-old fermentation process to transform plant material into a propellant, could eventually replace gasoline and drastically cut down on greenhouse gas emissions."

"It's a much more efficient way of (creating renewable fuel) than many of the other products being considered," said Harvey Blanch, a professor of chemical engineering at Berkeley. "This product is one that may be closest to commercialization."

This means that almost any fast growing plant like corn, sugar cane, grasses or even trees such as eucalyptus can be used. It could be the end of petroleum as a fuel source.

Here's more information from the San Francisco Chronicle article.