Research Makes Switchgrass Ethanol Cheaper to Produce
"Researchers at the University of Georgia have made a leap ahead in the work to convert switchgrass to a biofuel, a discovery that might make the plants economical to make fuels. The scientists engineered a bacterium called Caldicellulosiruptor bescii, which can convert switchgrass to ethanol without the costly step of pretreatment. Traditionally, biofuel makers have had to pretreat biomass such as switchgrass and miscanthus (which are called lignocellulosic plants) in order to break down plant cell walls before fermentation."
