Corn-based biofuel production has reached 13 million barrels per year, but processing land and energy-intensive food crops such as corn, soybeans, and sugar is costly and often uses environmentally-damaging chemicals or harsh acids. Enzymes are known to perform the same function, but often take more time and have trouble breaking down a majority of the agricultural waste (stalks and husks of plants, wood chips, switchgrass, and corn stover) that also acts as raw material for the biofuels industry. Producing biofuel from this cellulosic-rich biomass is necessary if our aim is to make biofuels an eco-friendly and cost competitive alternative to gasoline.

inhabitat, 29.08.11.