April 16, 2008 2:21 PM PDT
Where biology meets energy. Agrivida is a Boston area company that is genetically engineering crops so that they contain enzymes optimized to break down cellulose in plants. Ethanol made from plant cellulose, rather than from grains like corn, is considered a much better approach to making ethanol.
Growing demand for corn ethanol and soy-based biodiesel has been blamed for rising food prices, a situation that is causing social upheaval in many poor countries, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Environmentally, cellulosic ethanol made from wood chips, crop wastes, or grasses has been found to have lower carbon emissions than corn ethanol, but production technologies are still more expensive and experimental.
Photo by Martin LaMonica/CNET Networks
