University of Maryland researchers have created a process to convert large volumes of plant products, from leftover brewer's mash to paper trash, into ethanol and other biofuel alternatives to gasoline. Developed by University of Maryland professors Steve Hutcheson and Ron Weiner, the technique, called the Zymetis process, produces biofuels from cellulosic sources including waste paper, brewing by-products, leftover agriculture products including straw, corncobs and husks, and energy crops such as switchgrass.
The secret to the process is a Chesapeake Bay marsh grass bacterium, which scientists found has an enzyme that could quickly break down plant materials into sugar, which can then be converted to biofuel. The Zymetis researchers were unable to isolate the bacterium in nature, but they discovered how to produce the enzyme in their own laboratories. The result was Ethazyme, which degrades the tough cell walls of cellulosic materials and breaks down the entire plant material into processable sugars in one step, at far lower cost and with fewer caustic chemicals than current methods.
Scientists estimate the technology could potentially produce 75 billion gallons of carbon-neutral ethanol annually. Hutcheson projects a $5 billion enzyme market for biofuels.
