MIT Experts Look at the Prospects and Challenges of Cellulose Ethanol Technology

Chemical engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have recently looked into the prospects and new research areas in the production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass. In the 2007 February 9 issue of the journal, Science, Professor Gregory Stephanopoulos states that there is “justified optimism” that the realization of a sustainable biofuels production from cellulosic biomass could be attained in the next ten to 15 years. New developments in metabolic engineering have opened new avenues for harnessing the biochemical machinery of cells for improved ethanol production. In a United States Senate hearing on biofuels, Assistant Professor Kristala Jones Prather said that “Biofuels represent a grand challenge in technology”. More research will be needed to realize the full potential of cellulose ethanol.

Among the mentioned advantages of cellulosic material as biofuel feedstock are: (1) abundance and (2) better energy balance for ethanol production compared to corn. The need for coordinated research in agriculture (for the development of new crops), molecular biology/biochemistry (for better microorganisms and bioprocesses for the conversion of cellulose to ethanol), and engineering (for the development better fuel engines) was also highlighted.