Honda Motor said on last week that it has co-developed the world’s first practical process for producing ethanol out of cellulosic biomass in what would be a big step towards using non-edible plant materials as fuel. Ethanol is a major source of motor fuel in Brazil and is gaining popularity in the US, France and other countries, but the renewable fuel is produced mainly from sugar cane and corn, raising the issue of balancing supply against the use of the crops as food. Honda and its partner Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, or RITE, a non-profit entity set up by the Japanese government and private enterprises, said the new method allows large volumes of ethanol to be produced from widely available waste wood, leaves and other so called soft biomass.
Source:
The Economic Times
New Delhi, 15 September 2006
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