The recent newsletter said we have developed an entire portfolio of cleantech. That was enough of an invitation for me to take a look at what technologies are out there that would fit our term Cellulosic Oil™ technology. "Cellulosic ethanol" is produced from wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants. What if "Cellulosic oil" can be produced from DDGs or even a biodiesel byproduct like glycerin?
The SkunK does not know if Greenshift has any connection to the story below. However, Greenshift has connections to Montana and its University. The Culinary Oil Plant is in Montana. Dr. Miller (In Charge of the Montana Culinary Plant) is a Ph.D. chemist (Fall 2007) from the University of Montana. David L. Tooke, Ph.D. Director of Operations completed a Ph.D. in Geochemistry - University of Montana. Kalie J. Rider, RD. Nutrition Research and a Master’s in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana. David H. Bjornson, CPA, JD, LLM, Secretary, General Counsel has a B.A. degree in Business Administration and a J.D. degree (with honors) from the University of Montana. GreenShift Received a Grant for Algae Bioreactor Technology in January for $375,000 from the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization. http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/090105/20090105005487.html?.v=1
Well with all of those connections - lets look at what some folks at the University of Montana recently found and patented. . .
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Deep in the Jungle, A Fungus Pumps Out Diesel From Wood
A newly discovered tree fungus could be on its way to the gas station. The fungus, Gliocladium roseum, is able to turn plant matter into gaseous hydrocarbons that are almost chemically identical to diesel fuel. “This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances,” said researcher Gary Strobel from Montana State University. “The fungus can even make these diesel compounds from cellulose, which would make it a better source of biofuel than anything we use at the moment” .
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After discovering the new fungus wedged between cells in a stem from an Ulmo tree (Eucryphia cordifolia), Strobel and colleagues cultured the organism, collected the gaseous compounds it produced, and ran the compounds through a mass spectrometer to identify them. When he saw the printout, Strobel says, “every hair on my body stood up.” The list included octane, 1-octene, heptane, 2-methyl, and hexadecane–all common components of diesel fuels.
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Making biofuel from cellulose is a difficult two-step process that requires first breaking down the cellulose into simple sugars and then synthesizing the sugars into complex hydrocarbons. But G. roseum can do both, leading scientists to eye “myco-diesel” as a potential source of renewable energy. Stroble suggests, instead of using farmland to grow biofuels, G. roseum could be grown in factories, like baker’s yeast, and its gases siphoned off to be liquefied into fuel… Another alternative, he said, would be to strip out the enzyme-making genes from the fungus and use this to break down the cellulose to make the biodiesel.
Montana State University currently has a patent on the fungus.
Entire Article Here:
Wow! This is some pretty far out stuff. It does not sound like it is far enough along to be bench tested like our Cellulosic Oil™ technology. But I got a few more ideas I'm working on . . . Chemical, biological, mechanical . . . hmmm I wonder . . .
SkunK,
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