The plunge in oil prices, accelerated by a recent OPEC decision to maintain production targets, will deal a new blow to efforts to commercialize advanced biofuels such as ethanol made from woody plant waste, or diesel made from plant oils. Lower oil prices may also help strengthen the case for scaling back the federal regulations equiring the use of biofuels.
Stanford researchers develop a copper catalyst that can efficiently convert carbon monoxide and water to ethanol.
Today, nearly all ethanol fuel is made from corn or sugarcane, which requires vast tracts of land and huge quantities of water and fertilizer. Researchers at Stanford University have now developed an electrochemical process that could be far cheaper and better for the environment.
A few years ago, large scale, billion-gallon-a-year cellulosic ethanol production seemed around the corner. Instead we’ve seen companies fail, or scale back and delay their plans, as they find it hard to secure financing or bring down costs. The technology seems to have dropped off the radar, except for the occasional news of opposition to a mandate requiring the use of cellulosic ethanol.
