The world, it is said, belongs to those with the most energy. And the search for alternative energy, for a number of reasons - from political to environmental - continues. The price spike in 2008, preceding the recession the world is now desperately endeavoring to climb out - gave a fillip to the pursuit.
In his State of the Union address in January 2007, former US President Bush emphasized developing biofuels, so as to reduce the American dependence on oil. And then on Jan. 24, while speaking at a DuPont plant, Bush said he was particularly encouraged by the possibility of producing ethanol from switchgrass, wood chips and agricultural waste.
The quest for alternatives is driven by two factors. With no serious substitute for transportation, oil is vulnerable to severe supply disruptions, and then like other fossil fuels, its use creates local pollution and contributes a significant share to increased Green House Gases (GHG) concentration in the ...