Pakistan approves funding for bioenergy project

Pakistan’s Ministry of Science and Technology Research has approved a project to produce bioenergy from biomass at a cost of Rs295.5 million (US$7.5 million), such as kallar grass and other salt tolerant plants. The lignocellulosic biomass will be converted by enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation into ethanol/methane. Pakistan has started work on both bioethanol from sugar and the cellulose biomass-bacteria route. The latter appears to have long-term potential as a large amount of marginalized and degraded salinized land can be used to grow grasses, which can feed both animals and provide cellulose for energy conversion. (September 23, 2007)