Researchers have identified a potential pretreatment method that can make plant cellulose five times more digestible by enzymes that convert it into ethanol. Presently, ethanol or other biofuels can only be produced in usable quantities if the biomass—corn leaves, stalks, or switchgrass—is pretreated with costly, potentially toxic chemicals in an energy-intensive process. The new discovery, reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could change that. “What we’ve discovered is something like a cost-effective switch or a lever,” says Shishir Chundawat, postdoctoral researcher working with Bruce Dale, professor of chemical engineering and materials science at Michigan State University.
