Waste not, want not
Current biofuels used for transport are made from just the parts of the plant that contain sugar and starch - the seeds and grain. Much of the plant is wasted, but a future alternative might be making
bio-ethanol from cellulose - a compound that is found in every part of the plant.
The challenge for scientists is to find cheap,
energy-efficient ways of breaking down the cellulose into simple sugars. This could be done using enzymes, acid or even bacteria or fungi.
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| Miscanthus grass is one crop that could be used to make cellulosic ethanol. |
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