Ethanol production

Phys.Org (Isle of Man, Nov. 23) – New research at the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory at Illinois could significantly change ethanol production by lowering operating costs and simplifying the dry grind process. “There are currently more than 200 dry grind plants that are processing corn to produce ethanol,” says Vijay Singh, the director of IBRL and a professor in agricultural and biological engineering. “The dry grind process requires two different enzymes to convert corn starch to glucose, which is further fermented to ethanol by yeast.” Singh says that process has been simplified by the combined use and optimization of three new technologies. Also: Science Daily (Nov. 23), Ag Week (Nov. 23), ScienceBlog (Nov. 28).