Frederick Sparber wrote:
Dumesic and cohorts at U. of Wisconsin have recently developed a
Tin, Nickel, Aluminum catalyst to convert the starch in biomass such as
corn potatoes turnips etc., at ~440 F @ 400 psi,
(U.S. Patent 6,699,457 )
Others are working on bioengineering methods of doing this. See the paper
by Schultz and Woolsey I mentioned the other day:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/message/68
QUOTE:
"These developments may be compared in importance to the invention of
thermal and catalytic cracking of petroleum in the first decades of the
20th century processes which made it possible to use a very large share
of petroleum to make gasoline rather than the tiny share that was available
at the beginning of the century. For example, with such
genetically-engineered biocatalysts it is not only grains of corn but corn
cobs and most of the rest of the corn plant that may be used to make
ethanol. . . ."
- Jed
