Situation:
While ethanol is now standard in vehicle fuel as 10% of gasoline, advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol have been struggling.
It hasnt been fun for the biofuel industry to see one of its leaders leave the alternative fuel for another one entirely, while making blunt criticisms.
Alan Shaw, chemist and former CEO at Codexis Inc., the first biofuels company that went public on the stock market, has left biofuels for natural gas. He says its impossible to economically turn crop waste, wood, and plants like switchgrass into vehicle fuel.
Significance:
Other biofuel companies have been feeling the pinch in recent years. Since 2008, companies have invested about $3 billion in the US developing processes that turn biomass into new types of vehicle fuel.
Businesses shooting for next-gen advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol have faced several obstacles.
Shaws new job is the California-based Calysta, which is developing a type of bacteria known as methanotroph, or methane eater. It converts the carbon in gas into diesel through a fermentation process.
Its natural gas-derived fuel made with biotechnology. Its not going to be clean from carbon dioxides but it may be a viable source of natural gas, which is seeing a lot more demand in the market.
Read more about what Shaw had to say about the struggles of the biofuels industry and the opportunities the rapidly growing natural gas market has to offer.
The Article Former Biofuels CEO Leaves it Behind for Natural Gas appeared first on Automotive Digest.