Biodiesel made efficiently
Indian scientists have discovered an efficient way to make biodiesel, removing the need to heat the mixture of ingredients for hours - a process that counters the overall efficiency of the fuel. They have used a fungus that produces an enzyme called lipase which “can link oil to methanol without any extra heating”.
This provides a hopeful future in fighting the current debates against biofuels, now that the useful enzyme can be produced cheaply. The process was introduced to the International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and should surely be widely accepted and produced on a large scale, one could only anticipate.
The article and a photo of the experimental reactor is posted in the Wired Science blog.