Posted by Mike on December 3rd, 2007 in biology, power storage, vehicle

Not often do termites and biofuels cross paths, but this interesting piece from the Department of Energy really points to something worth thinking about. Anyone not on the ethanol payroll realizes that this particular boondoggle benefits only the corn grower, and no one else in the long run, especially those of us who actually eat.

That is not to say that biofuels are the wrong path. In fact, we have tons of biofuel feedstock laying around this country in the form of cellulosic material- trees and the waste from virtually anything that grows. The problem with cellulose is that it is tough to break down into the stuff that produces the fuel. According to this article, the termite is able to easily break down cellulose via the bacteria that inhabit its gut.

The researchers from the DOE have isolated at least some of the bacteria that break down the wood’s cellulose for the termite’s dinner. The importance of this discovery is that it could eventually be used for the production of a really valuable biofuel- butinol. Butinol is a four carbon alcohol, (ethanol is a two carbon alcohol).

Why butinol? For one thing, while some suggests 18% mixing limit, other websites indicate that you can run the stuff undiluted in your car without a problem. Second is that there are groups already out there with bioreactors brewing butinol from forest waste products at a much lower cost than ethanol -without the subsidies. Third, butinol has significantly more BTU’s per gallon than ethanol, or in other words, a gallon of butinol will take you much further down the road than ethanol.

If you surf the web a bit, or follow the link below, you will begin to see the beginning of the end of the ethanol era, and not soon enough for those of us that hate $5.00 gallon milk. Using food stock for fuel is fundamentally a stupid idea… unless you can eat your car.

http://www.jgi.doe.gov/News/news_11_21_07.html

Technorati : bacteria, biofuel, butinol, ethanol, termites