Turning bio-waste into fuel

[Rhiannon12866]

Fuelling your car with oil made from sawdust may seem farfetched, but thanks to the work of a team of researchers at the University of Calgary, the day might be coming closer.

For the past three years, Nader Mahinpey's team has been toiling away in the basement of the University of Calgary finding better ways to convert organic waste into biofuel.

"I started this work as a response to the energy demands of this society," said Mahinpey. "Eventually, I believe that biomass can answer about 20 per cent of our energy demand."

The team is using thermochemical conversion technologies to extract oil from the non-edible parts of plant material, such as the straw from flax, barley and wheat.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Turning+waste+into+fuel/5005770/story.html#ixzz1QNITZbT6