New variety of corn makes ethanol production for cars more cost effective

Michigan State University researchers claim to have developed a new variety of corn that promises to make ethanol production for running cars, more cost-effective and efficient. Presently, most US ethanol is made from corn kernels, as breaking down the cellulose in corn leaves and stalks into sugars that can be fermented into ethanol is difficult and expensive. But with the Spartan corn it is possible to turn corn leaves and stalks into ethanol. "We've developed two generations of Spartan Corn. Both corn varieties contain the enzymes necessary to break down cellulose and hemicellulose into simple sugars in their leaves. This will allow for more cost-effective, efficient production of ethanol," said Mariam Sticklen, MSU professor of crop and soil sciences... Whole "Checkbiotech":[ http://www.checkbiotech.org/green_News_Biofuels.aspx?infoId=14602]

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