University of Florida opens ethanol-fuel production plant | Checkbiotech

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	View Edit Domain: BioEnergy Title: * Body: Florida has moved a step closer to greater energy diversification with the dedication of a new type of ethanol-fuel production plant on the University of Florida`s main campus in Gainesville. The research plant will help university scientists to figure out how to more efficiently make ethanol as an automotive fuel from cellulose, the woody residue from crop waste, wood and plants. <br /><br />Technology at the pilot plant is the work of UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences microbiologist Lonnie Ingram, director of the Florida Center for Renewable Chemicals and Fuels. Ingram has developed genetically engineered bacteria that can break down the inedible portions of plant material. <br /><br />Most commercial ethanol today is produced from the sugar and starches in the edible portions of plants, such as field corn. Once "cellulosic" ethanol becomes commercially viable, it will reduce the need to use food crops for fuel, eliminating one of the complaints that critics have against ethanol. <br /><br />UF President Bernie Machen was at the plant`s dedication ceremony on Friday and said that cellulosic ethanol "is just one of many likely new energy sources," but noted that "it could be a big one." Florida is a year-round growing state, he said, which means crops and forests make a lot of unused cellulose that could be converted to fuel for vehicles. <br /><br />Ethanol can already be made from cellulose but it is not as simple as the traditional method, which is essentially large-scale "moonshine" production. Once ethanol from cellulose is economically competitive with the fuel made from corn it will make the supply of woody "fuel" for ethanol production vastly greater, driving down prices and making "farm" production of the fuel more widespread. <br /><br />Ethanol does not have quite as much energy as regular gasoline on a per-gallon basis, so vehicle mileages is reduced, ethanol burns cleaner and is domestically produced, reducing the need for imports from places like Saudi Arabia and generating more profit for U.S. farmers and less for Big Oil. <br /><br /><br />© 2008 Orlando Sentinel Captcha: Please Enter Code : * Time Zone: * Select the time zone Vocabularies Newsletter: Domain: Show summary in full view Input format Filtered HTML Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Full HTML Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. news_filter Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. More information about formatting options			Related Articles The Biofuels Mobile Education Center Hits the Road $30 Million Biofuel Plant Could Locate In Jay, Florida Pinal Energy explores sweet sorghum ethanol production Biofuel crops proposed for South Florida land targeted for w... Record Biodiesel Production Continues Ethanol plant looks to double production African association aims to drive cleantech development Modeling Plant Metabolism to Optimize Oil Production Boeing, Hawaii BioEnergy work on biofuel production Judge backs biomass land-use change Top BioEnergy Articles

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