Scientists have said that they are developing replacements for petrochemical fuels that will be cost-effective and renewable and have less impact on the environment. There is a general agreement that no one technology would be supreme. A variety of current and new methodologies will contribute towards meeting biofuel needs, according to a news item in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology news (GEN). 

John Sterling, Editor-in-Chief of GEN, said that it has been estimated fossil fuels constitute more than 80% of main energy supply of the world. The issue of global warming and economics require use of technologies to lower this percentage. Edenspace Systems is working on Energy Corn, a feedstock that has been designed to cut the cost of producing cellulosic biofuels from corn stover.

The technology platform, based on identifying cellulose genes, transforming crop plants with candidate genes, and calculating the effects on growth, yield, and cellulose hydrolysis would be applicable to many energy crops like sorghum, sugarcane, and switchgrass.

The officials at Coskata say the company trusts a hybrid approach, which is based on Flex Ethanol technology. This combines gasification and fermentation in a thermo-biological medium to produce fuel-grade ethanol. This can be cost-competitive compared to gasoline.

The process would yield more in excess of 100 gallons of ethanol per ton of dry biomass.