Biofuels are fuels produced through biological processes, like those derived from plant and microbes. Unlike the fossil fuels which are formed by geological processes, over millions of years, Biofuels can be produced from regular plant material, making it an excellent substitute for fossil fuels. Biodiesels have been produced from plant oils and fats, while bioethanol can be produced from sugar and starch, and both these fuels could be safer alternative to burning fossil fuels. The drawback has always been in the cost of production of biofuels. While crude oil is waiting to be drilled from the earth’s surface, biofuels require extensive laboratory setup to produce the fuels. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Tehnology, Kharagpur have been working on biofuels and may have a way to reduce the cost of its production. Hemicellulose is a type of polymer found in almost all plant cells. By adding hemicellulosic alcohols to ethyl alcohol produced from plant cellulose, one could produce biofuels produced mainly from plant dry matter or biomass. The cost intensive step in the process is in deconstructing the plant cell wall to separate the hemicelluloses – a process called hemicelluloses depolymerization. The researchers have come up with a two phase process called enzymatic hydrolysis, which promises to be a much simpler process to achieve depolymerization, while keeping the cost low. The work could enable commercialization of biofuels on a wider scale, while the theoretical aspects of the work provide deeper insights into the production process of this wonder fuel.
Read time: 2 mins28 Jul 2017