TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A team of scientists from the University of Georgia in Athens, United States has developed a simple process to produce ethanol from switchgrass which grow in the barren lands in North America. The finding is a step forward to save corn - usually used for the basic ingredient to produce ethanol biofuel.
"We chose to take an organism that does the hard thing—digest lignocellulosic biomass— and we engineered a pathway to ethanol," explained co-author Janet Westpheling to The Scientist.
The researchers sought to engineer a bacterium to directly convert switchgrass into ethanol, with no need for chemical and enzymatic treatment. They selected C. bescii because it naturally produces enzymes that free glucose from lignocellulose.
Ethanol consumption as fuel for vehicles is high, especially in United States who used 13.3 million gallon of ethanol for fuel during 2012.
Westpheling believed that bioethanol is friendlier to the environment since it has lower carbon content than fossil fuels. Moreover, bioethanol is renewable, unlike the widely used fossil fuels.
The team of the University of Georgia was one of many scientists who sought ways to convert plantations into a form of renewable energy. In addition to the switchgrass, some other plants such as duckweed, sea algae, and wood wastes are currently studied.
"It’s a first step, but it was a really good first step," Westpheling continued.
The research was published on the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.
MCT | MAHARDIKA
