NOVOZYMES TURN WASTE PAPER TO FUEL

In cooperation with the American company Fiberight, Novozymes have extracted fuel from waste paper.

The cars using the new fuel are from Chevrolet and Ford respectively and are so called flexi-fuel cars.

The process applies a number of different enzymes to break down the paper and process it to turn it into a sugar mass.
Subsequently, the mass is converted to ethanol during a fermentation process. By adding a a small amount of petrol, the product E85 is recovered.
 
The President of Novozymes, North America, Adam Monroe, believes that, over time, this technology makes good economic sense.

»The advanced biofuels presented today demonstrate that the enzymes technology is ready for the market. What we need now is commercialization and expansion to help accommodate our country’s most urgent energy- and environmental challenges« he said according to a press release.

During the last few years, a number of different methods to convert bio mass to fuel have emerged, and most recent Haldor Topsøe have received 125 billion DKK from the U.S. Energy Department to create a plant which, by the aid of a  gasification process, shall convert wood to petrol.