While decreasing oil prices have dulled interest in biofuels somewhat, the breathless pace of scientific advancement in the bioengineering world continues to make the renewable energy source more competitive. 

Today’s breakthrough comes from Dartmouth College, where researchers have announced ALK2, a genetically engineered bacteria that processes cellulose molecules into ethanol at higher temperatures than existing strains of bacteria. This allows the process to function with significantly lower amounts of the expensive catalyst cellulase, resulting in a faster, cheaper ethanol production.

The new bacteria also yields only ethanol during its processing, a significant step up from existing microorganisms, which tend to process some sugars into organic acids instead of the viable ethanol fuel. The whole process of fuel creation still creates very few net warming gases, making it as carbon-friendly as other existing biofuel technologies. 

This announcement is a tremendous step forward for cellulosic ethanol, which has long been favored as a means of biofuel creation. By creating fuel mostly from agricultural byproducts, such as corn stalks and sawdust, it saves both the carbon created by growing and tending for a biofuel-specific crop, as well as eliminating the pressure on world food markets that food-stock ethanol can create.