MIT's Technology Reviev magazine reports today that a Dutch startup called Kior has developed a process for creating "biocrude" directly from biomass
Dutch biofuels startup Bioecon and Khosla Ventures have launched a joint venture called Kior, which will commercialize Bioecon's process for converting agricultural waste directly into "biocrude," a mixture of small hydrocarbon molecules that can be processed into fuels such as gasoline or diesel in existing oil refineries. The process, Kior claims, boasts numerous advantages over other methods of producing biofuels: it could prove relatively cheap, relies on a nontoxic catalyst, taps into the present fuel-refining and transportation infrastructure, and produces clean-burning fuels that can be used in existing engines.
..the oil vs alternatives energy economic landscape is quickly changing.
My only question is why aren't Canadian scientists developing more technology like this? Europe seems to be a far better breading ground for these startup ventures, or at least they seem to be getting more press and more angel and VC attention. Mike Hollingshead reminds us that Iogen in Canada is involved in a direct process from biomass to ethanol conversion.
Full story here>>[...]
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