Nanotechnology can help to increase ethanol recovery
Companies and universities are working to develop a process for producing ethanol from different types of plant material to increase the amount of ethanol available as fuel. The starch in the corn kernels is converted to sugar using enzymes which is then fermented to make ethanol. To increase production of ethanol cellulous portions of the corn plant, such as the stalk, along with other plants that are currently thrown away are used. Nanotechnology is helping this effort by allowing researchers to study the molecular structure and function of bacteria and enzymes. This enables them to either select enzymes capable of converting cellulous to sugar or to modify enzymes to make them useful in the conversion process. In another method cellulous is heated and converted into carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas. A bacterium is then used as a catalyst in the conversion of the gas to ethanol. Nanotechnology can help this process both through genetic engineering of the bacteria to improve its performance as a catalyst and by providing alternative catalysts. For example, researchers have found that carbon nanotubes containing rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles act as very effective catalysts for the conversion of the gas to ethanol. Using nanotechnology/genetic engineering to produce ethanol from cellulous has the potential to make a serious dent in our consumption of crude oil. However we do need to keep an eye on some safety issues.