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Israeli Company that Genetically Modifies Trees Expects to Break Into the Market for the Green Gasoline Substitute Ethanol in Five to 10 Years
"An Israeli company that genetically modifies trees expects to break into the market for the green gasoline substitute ethanol in five to 10 years, a director of the company said on Wednesday.
Ethanol - which can be mixed with gasoline to produce a cleaner transport fuel - is now made from sugarcane and maize. But the next step for the industry would be making ethanol from farm waste and a huge range of other plants or trees.
Israel's CBD Technologies introduces one gene into poplar trees to increase the size of the plant. The firm is carrying out field trials in Israel and Ziv Shani, head of research and development for the company, said poplars grew to twice the size in two years with the additional gene.
"I'm sure there will be ethanol production from trees, it's just a matter of time ... The market will be here I guess in five to 10 years' time, hopefully. When there's a market, we'll be ready," Shani told Reuters on the sidelines of a biofuels conference in Seville.
Genetically modified trees are not currently sold except in China, Shani said, and in Europe using gene-enhanced trees would likely spark protest from ecologists. Environmental activist group Greenpeace opposes GM trees for any use.
CBD Technologies' initial target market is the pulp and paper industry and it hopes to launch a trial this year with eucalyptus trees in Brazil with its partner there, pulp firm Cia Suzano de Papel e Celulose.
Once the technology has been developed to change so-called biomass into ethanol, a huge range of products could be used in the industry, experts say.
Gerson Santos-Leon, director of research and development for Europe's leading ethanol producer, Abengoa Bioenergy, told Reuters GM trees represented a "promising area" but only in some parts of the world because of opposition to GM use in Europe.
Abengoa Bioenergy expects biomass to be commercially viable by 2015. "The question is always going to be if the public accepts it," he said."
Source: Israel firm eyes ethanol market with biotech trees Print Version. Checkbiotech.org (press release) - Basel,Switzerland (19 May 2005) [FullText]
Ethanol - which can be mixed with gasoline to produce a cleaner transport fuel - is now made from sugarcane and maize. But the next step for the industry would be making ethanol from farm waste and a huge range of other plants or trees.
Israel's CBD Technologies introduces one gene into poplar trees to increase the size of the plant. The firm is carrying out field trials in Israel and Ziv Shani, head of research and development for the company, said poplars grew to twice the size in two years with the additional gene.
"I'm sure there will be ethanol production from trees, it's just a matter of time ... The market will be here I guess in five to 10 years' time, hopefully. When there's a market, we'll be ready," Shani told Reuters on the sidelines of a biofuels conference in Seville.
Genetically modified trees are not currently sold except in China, Shani said, and in Europe using gene-enhanced trees would likely spark protest from ecologists. Environmental activist group Greenpeace opposes GM trees for any use.
CBD Technologies' initial target market is the pulp and paper industry and it hopes to launch a trial this year with eucalyptus trees in Brazil with its partner there, pulp firm Cia Suzano de Papel e Celulose.
Once the technology has been developed to change so-called biomass into ethanol, a huge range of products could be used in the industry, experts say.
Gerson Santos-Leon, director of research and development for Europe's leading ethanol producer, Abengoa Bioenergy, told Reuters GM trees represented a "promising area" but only in some parts of the world because of opposition to GM use in Europe.
Abengoa Bioenergy expects biomass to be commercially viable by 2015. "The question is always going to be if the public accepts it," he said."
Source: Israel firm eyes ethanol market with biotech trees Print Version. Checkbiotech.org (press release) - Basel,Switzerland (19 May 2005) [FullText]
posted by BioMedMarket.Info @ 19.5.05
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