SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL BIOFUEL FROM CELLULOSE

[Kboy]

With the galloping demand for energy. Is it possible we synthesis a novel biofuel from cellulose apart from the known ethanol.

What about the possibility of genetically culturing an enzyme that can help convert cellulose to an energy containing compounds that can serve as biofuel?

Lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose are so abundant but we cannot maximize them.

Present means of converting them to glucose is not economical enough for their commercial success.

 

Can we brainstorm on this?

[hypervalent_iodine]

There are people working extensively in this area. Both in terms of efficiently and cheaply converting cellulose to glucose, and development of biofuels. Don't have any links as I'm in my phone, but I'm sure you can look it up on Google scholar. I worked at an institute a few years ago that focussed on this as one of their research themes alongside the sugar industry in Australia. Perhaps look up the work of Bill Doherty from QUT, Australia (http://staff.qut.edu.au/staff/dohertyw/).

[CharonY]

There are range of (mostly microbial) endproducts under investigation (including e.g. methane). However, process optimization and the economics of the whole is more an issue than the actual fuel type per se. For example, from a biological standpoint ethanol is a rather efficient pathway, but optimization in e.g. pre-treatment as well as methods to increase purity massively influence the cost. And then there is obviously the production side of it, e.g. what crops to use and how energy efficient those are.