To make this more economically viable there are other technological developments under way such as novel harvesting methods, better crop management, separation-process improvements, improved enzymes, genetic engineering advances and pretreatments. Lignin , the natural glue that holds vegetable material together, must be removed for the production of ethanol from cellulose. The DOE, Department of Energy, has been working on a process to directly convert ligno-cellulose to ethanol without removing the lignin first. Microorganisms are being developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennesse to speed up the conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to sugars, which can then be converted to alcohol. This would be far cheaper than gasoline and might reduce or keep gasoline prices stable.
Ethanol is used as a clean burning fuel and can be a petroleum additive.
In 1993 alone, the U.S. produced 1.1 billion gallons of ethanol. With increasing technologies and the DOE's predictions ethanol will be a competitive fuel. Biodiesel Fuel from Seed Oil Biodiesel, vegetable oils for engine fuels, is environmentally clean. Conventional diesel fuel contains sulfur and aromatics which contribute to particulate emissions. When compared to ethanol production, the biodiesel process requires no distiller's license, less water and energy, and produces a high-protein meal as a byproduct.