There are, of course, other esoteric (biofuel) options to consider. In personal conversation with Michael Antal, who is the Coral Industries Distinguished Professor at the University of Hawaii, and, possibly, the only university researcher today who has a chair in biofuels production, he continues to believe that supercritical water technology he developed has the best chance for producing hydrogen or methanol. He has also used the process in collaboration with Lee Lynd of Dartmouth to produce ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass. Several of Professor Antal's post-doctoral students from Japan have fashioned careers in supercritical water gasification. General Atomics Corporation at one time attempted to advance the concept, but the VERENA pilot plant in Germany conducted the most advanced work in the gasification of biomass in supercritical water. Cost factors, however, ended this effort.
If, because of scientific developments, such as the successful application of the genome table, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation can be significantly improved, there is also the potential for microbial conversion of biomass to methanol. There are bacteria known as methanotrophs capable of converting cellulose to this alcohol. Considerable Rcolor:#cc0000;">Oil dropped just below 135/barrel today. Saudi Arabia is considering expanding production, but there continue to be rumours that the confirmed resource base in the Middle East is perhaps only 50% of the supposed known amount.
