Philippines students win award for developing ethanol from toxic wild taro

In the Philippines, students from St. Louis University have won the Business and Idea Development Award 2016 from the Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry for developing ethanol from the toxic wild taro plant that grows abundantly throughout the country. It is also resistant to both drought and floods. The process used to distill the crop into ethanol required a several weeks long fermentation process. Both engine and lab tests demonstrated that the fuel can be used in vehicles.