As concerns about oil becoming scarce get worse, yet another option for alternative fuel sources has recently got a significant boost.
A process to make butanol from biomass much more cheaply than has been possible has been developed by a California company, Cobalt Biofuels.
The company has developed special strains of bacteria to convert raw biomass such as grasses into butanol, and has received funding to expand from a laboratory model to a pilot plant.
The initial production of 35,000 gallons a year is miniscule in fuel consumption terms, but it is hoped the plant could prove the process enough to be replicated in larger facilities, and in many places around the world.
The process is cheaper because it uses improved strains of bacteria to break down and ferment biomass, as well as improved equipment for managing fermentation and reducing water and energy consumption.
Butanol contains more energy than ethanol, currently the most widely used biofuel. It doesn't have the corrosive properties that requires ethanol storage and pipelines to be specially manufactured. And it can be blended with petrol in much higher ratios with the need for engines modification.
In its laboratory, Cobalt Biofuels has reduced the consumption of energy and water in the process by 75 percent.
