Making Ethanol without Corn

Apr-12-14 Researchers have developed a way to make ethanol fuel that eliminates the need for corn or sugarcane, drastically reducing the amount of energy needed to manufacture the alternative fuel.

Manufacturing ethanol usually requires gathering large amounts of biomass and then subjecting the material to fermentation. As an alternative to the labor-intensive process, Stanford University researchers have proven that it is possible to use an electric current to produce the ethanol directly from water and waste gases.

The process described by the research team involves converting carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide—using either an existing technology or one of the more efficient methods currently being developed—and then using an electrochemical process to convert the carbon monoxide to ethanol. The cornerstone of the proposed technology was a copper-based catalyst developed by the team, which is able to efficiently produce ethanol and other carbon compounds from water. The process could be powered by renewable energy sources, and could eventually be contained in a device small enough to be distributed.

More Info about this Invention:

[TECHNOLOGYREVIEW.COM]
[NBC NEWS]

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