The utilization of cellulosic biomass for biofuel production commonly goes through the biochemical route of pretreatment/saccharification (breakdown of cellulose into component- sugars), followed by fermentation of the sugars into ethanol. Although “cellulose ethanol” production technology provides a good energy yield and a good “carbon balance”, the process reportedly has the following drawbacks: (1) the breakdown of cellulose is slow/expensive, and (2) the fermentation to ethanol actually releases carbon dioxide at a ratio of 0.96 grams carbon dioxide for every gram of ethanol produced. Scientists from the University of California- Davis (United States) have recently developed a “cheaper and more efficient” process for the direct conversion of cellulose into alternative biofuels, called “furanics”. Furanics are “furan-based organic liquids” with biofuel potential. Furans are organic compounds whose basic unit consists of an aromatic ring with one oxygen and four carbon atoms. The process involves the digestion of cellulose with a solution of lithium chloride and hydrochloric acid. The target reaction product called, 5-(chloromethyl)furfural (CMF) is then extracted, and eventually converted to 5-(ethoxymethyl)furfural (EMF), a “promising alternative fuel”. The findings are published in the journal, Angewandte Chemie (URL above)..