GM sees Thailand as major ethanol producer

Thailand is ideally positioned to become a major ethanol producer with enough production for export, said Steve Carlisle, president of General Motors (GM) Southeast Asia Operations and Chevrolet Sales Thailand Co. He said that ethanol would be relatively inexpensive to produce in Thailand and that a switch to local production could provide revenue and jobs as well as a cleaner environment with lower carbon dioxide emissions. Existing feedstock for ethanol being produced comes from a variety of Thailand’s agricultural products including sugar cane, corn and cassava. But Carlisle said GM was working with Illinois, U.S.-based ethanol producer, Coskata Inc. on a new technology using a wide variety of waste materials, including municipal waste and even old tires. Coskata uses a thermo-chemical process where microorganisms consume waste and release ethanol. This revolutionary technology would allow ethanol to be produced anywhere in the world, including Thailand. (September 5, 2008)