From a cows stomach to your gas tank… potentially

MSU scientists may have found a easier way to turn corn plants into fuel, but it’s not easy to get to. Inside the stomach of a cow is a bacteria and inside that bacteria is an enzyme and this enzyme is the key.

What it does is turns plant fibers – or cellulose – into energy. This step is huge when it comes to biofuel production. So, with this enzyme it simplifies this process. Traditionally, only the corn’s kernels are used to make ethanol. However, with this enzyme, by injecting it into the corn plant, the entire thing can be used thus producing more fuel.

Exerpt:

The enzyme that allows a cow to digest grasses and other plant fibers can be used to turn other plant fibers into simple sugars. These simple sugars can be used to produce ethanol to power cars and trucks.

MSU scientists have discovered a way to grow corn plants that contain this enzyme. They have inserted a gene from a bacterium that lives in a cow’s stomach into a corn plant. Now, the sugars locked up in the plant’s leaves and stalk can be converted into usable sugar without expensive synthetic chemicals.

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