Hong Kong researchers cut 2G ethanol production costs by inhibiting tricin production in rice

In Hong Kong, researchers from Hong Kong University and Kyoto University have determined that by inhibiting tricin production in the rice plant, energy production can increase by 37%. Researchers think the genetic engineering will eventually take over for the costly chemical process of producing glucose for ethanol production from cellulosic material such as rice straw. The same technique can be applied to corn and sorghum, all without impacting crop yields, so the researchers hope to find corporate partners to help scale up the technology.