In a news article from Naturalnews.com, they stated that GM has invested in a startup company that make ethanol from waste products such as from crop waste, scrap plastic, rubber, wood chips as well as garbage! From what I have read, its been said that GM has invested in the production of “flex-fuel” vehicles, which ran either on standard gasoline, gasoline with 10 percent ethanol, or an 85-15 ethanol gasoline mix.
Just to expand a little bit on flex fuel vehicles, they are alternative fuel vehicles that’s engines are designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, which are stored in the same common tank.
General Motors has teamed up with a company named Coskata which has already developed a process for producing ethanol from waste. The process for this production consist of a two step process which begins with the feedstock (the waste product), which is cooked into a synthesis gas. “The gas is then processed by means of bacteria that consume synthesis gas and excrete ethanol as a waste product” (Natural News).
According to Coskata, “ethanol should be 50 cents to $1 cheaper than gasoline at the pump” (Natural News). The company expects to be at this point by the year 2011.
By Andrew Kim
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