German researchers develop room-temperature cellulosic ethanol process

In Germany, researchers at the Max Planck Institute published a new method to break down cellulose into sugar molecules, which can then be fermented into ethanol. The twp-step process breaks down cellulose into single stranded glucose chains called oligomers, using an ionic bath of organic salts, and then breaks the chains into sugar molecules using a solid acid resin. The process is not yet economically viable due to the high cost of the ionic solvents; however, it offers a room temperature alternative to high-pressure, high-temperature processes that consume large amounts of energy inputs.

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