General Motors (GM), which has committed to making half its cars ethanol-compatible by 2012, accelerated its alternative fuel interests on Thursday by investing in its second biofuel program since the beginning of the year.
GM said it was putting an unspecified amount of money into a New Hampshire-based company, Mascoma, which is working on turning papermill waste, corn stalks, wood chips and switchgrass into fuel.
In January, the world’s largest automotive maker unveiled plans to buy a stake in biofuel company Coskata Inc, a pioneer in efforts to convert waste into cheap ethanol.
Neither company uses grains such as corn to produce ethanol.
The US government has backed a huge increase in the production of corn and other grains for ethanol, a move that has been blamed for contributing to soaring food prices.
Mascoma says it is developing a “new generation of microbes” or bacteria which can break down the cellulose fibers that have been the major hurdle in using wood, straw, paper pulp and other agricultural waste products such as cornstalks for fuel.
It has also patented a process that uses heat and mechanical action to treat the cellulose in an economical manner.
“Processing ethanol from cellulosic biomass minimizes the environmental impact of fuel ethanol production,” Mascoma said on its Web site.
Other bacteria that it has developed convert sugars to ethanol.
In a statement from the two companies, GM president Fritz Henderson said the technologies of Mascoma and Coskata “represent what we see as the best in the cellulosic ethanol future and cover the spectrum in science and commercialization.”
“Demonstrating the viability of sustainable non-grain based ethanol is critical to developing the infrastructure to support the flex-fuel vehicle market,” he said.
GM head Rick Wagoner in January unveiled plans to bring 16 new hybrid models on the market within four years.
In the hybrid battle, GM has focused on developing technology for cars with batteries that can be recharged from regular electric sockets.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued a sea alert for Typhoon Fung-wong (鳳凰) as it threatened vessels operating in waters off the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Bashi Channel and south of the Taiwan Strait. A land alert is expected to be announced some time between late last night and early this morning, the CWA said. As of press time last night, Taoyuan, as well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties had declared today a typhoon day, canceling work and classes. Except for a few select districts in Taipei and New Taipei City, all other areas and city
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