Atalla finds that briefly soaking corn stover (the leftover parts of the
plant, such as husks) in a solution of sodium hydroxide,
ethanol, and water changes the molecular structure of the cellulose,
allowing him to convert nearly twice as much of it as is possible with existing methods.
The Fulton, Miss. project will
allow BlueFire to use green and wood wastes available in the region as feedstock for the
ethanol plant, which is designed to produce approximately 19 - million gallons of
ethanol per year.