In the conventional bioprocess of ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass (such as wood), the lignocellulosic components are first broken down into simple sugars, which are then converted to ethanol by yeast fermentation. The fermentation of the simple sugars by yeast can be considered “inefficient”, because part of the carbon in the sugars, are converted into carbon dioxide, instead of ethanol. An American start up company, Zeachem, has developed an ethanol production process from wood, which improves the carbon conversion efficiency to ethanol. The process, based on the use of termite-gut bacteria, called, Moorella thermoacetica, can reportedly produce “50% more ethanol from a given amount of biomass than conventional processes can”. In the process, the bacteria first convert the sugars from pre-processed wood into acetic acid, without the production of carbon dioxide. Then, through a series of chemical steps, the acetic acid is converted to ethanol. Through this process, no carbon is wasted because no carbon dioxide is produced. A visual overview of the process technology can be seen at the Zeachem website (URL indicated above)..