About This Lesson
Explore how different types of biomass can be used to produce fuel. One researcher is building reactors to grow algae used to create biofuel. Another studies how leafcutter ant colonies break down biomass in order to solve a different biofuel problem: conversion of cellulose in plants to a fermentable sugar used to make ethanol. Finally, an engineer shows us how his lab uses chemistry and heat to turn sawmill waste into bio-oil and gasoline.