Mitsui to produce ethanol from wood chips

Japan’s Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co., in its attempt to diversify its business, has established an experimental factory in Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture, that uses wood chips to produce ethanol.  Mitsui uses genetically modified yeasts to breakdown sugars extracted from wood chips to ferment it to produce ethanol.  Meanwhile, the Petroleum Association of Japan, which is comprised of Japans domestic oil refiners and distributors, proposes yet another kind of fuel, made by mixing ETBE–a compound of ethanol and isobutylene–with gasoline. They are planning to distribute ETBE at 50 locations on a trial basis soon.  (November 15, 2006)