Genetically Modified Grass May Lead to Cheaper Ethanol

Switchgrass, the prairie plant that once fueled the buffalo herds of the American Great Plains, may one day fill automobile tanks in a bioengineered form that’s cheaper and yields more ethanol than the original variety.

Researchers showed that by manipulating lignin, a compound that stiffens plants, they were able to produce a variety that resulted in 38 percent more biofuel with lower pretreatment costs. Modified switchgrass required 4 to 5 times less cellulase, an enzyme used to break down fiber, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.