Photos courtesy of Genencor
With a little help from biotechnology, corn stalks, saw dust, and garbage can be converted into a fuel that could potentially reduce gasoline consumption by 25%, according to Iogen in Ottawa. The company reached a milestone in the energy sector last April by opening the world's first demonstration plant that converts cellulose to ethanol. Iogen's demonstration plant uses genetically enhanced enzymes to break down the cellulose in plant waste to create ethanol.
"We feel that we're ready to go," says Jeff Passmore, executive vice president of Iogen. "We have an operating demonstration plant here with one million gallons a year capacity. It's small compared to a commercial plant, but it's huge compared to what anyone has done before." The company is now negotiating with governments to construct a full commercial plant in North America or Europe.
Now that biotechnology has established its place in today's global ...
