Catalyst break through for biofuels
The Ames Laboratory (at the US Department of Energy) and Iowa State University recently published a press release claiming that it should be possible to produce ethanol from all types of carbon-based biomass. This is reported on Senter Novem. The key lies in the catalyst of which there is little detail apart from it being a metal alloy nano particles suspended on a silica matrix . I guess its either going to be published as a patent, look out for Victor Lin or VSY Lin, or in one of the better peer-reviewed journals. There is also a tantalising reference to the use of a fluidised bed to generate optimal synthesis gas on scientific blogging.