GM signs alliance to develop enzyme-lite biofuel process

General Motors (GM) announced last week that it has joined forces with biofuel specialist Mascoma to develop a new form of cellulosic ethanol made from non-grain biomass.

Mascoma, which has secured more than $60m in state and federal grants, claims to have developed a single-step cellulose-to-ethanol process called Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP), which lowers production costs by limiting the number of additives and enzymes used in the biochemical process.

The company said it is currently testing the technology, which would allow non-food crops such as grasses and waste biomass to be turned into fuel, and expects to begin producing ethanol using the process later this year.

Bruce Jamerson, chairman and CEO at Mascoma said that the approach would allow biofuel producers to combine "affordable non-grain biomass with low-cost conversion techniques to make ethanol more quickly, efficiently and economically than is possible with other biochemical methods".

Under the partnership, GM said it will work with Mascoma to evaluate the best materials and fuels for specific engines and will also support the company's global expansion aims.

Moreover, the partnership includes an undisclosed equity investment by GM and complements an earlier investment in biofuel specialist Coskata, which claims to have developed a thermal chemical process for producing cellulosic ethanol.

"Taken together, these technologies represent what we see as the best in the cellulosic ethanol future" said GM president Fritz Henderson, adding that research into non-grain based ethanol is essential if the US is to meet growing demand for biofuels from the seven million flex-fuel vehicles already on the roads in the US capable of running on both gasoline and a blend of gasoline and ethanol.

In related news, agribusiness giant Monsanto last week announced a partnership with Mendel Biotechnology to work on the development of Mendel's Bioenergy seeds and feedstocks business.

Monsanto said it will apply its knowledge in crop testing, breeding and seed production to a range of perennial grass seed which Mendel is developing for use in biofuels.