UMass researchers attempt to turn plant matter into environmentally-friendly fuel

In a laboratory at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, graduate students hover around a complex setup that involves tubes, chambers, and dials. The students load sawdust into one side of the machine and, within moments, a brown liquid begins to drip into a catch basin on the other side.

The liquid - known as green gasoline - is the chemical equivalent of traditional gasoline, but cleaner and less expensive. According to its inventor, that means the green gas, also referred to as grassoline, has the potential to transform the economy.

“The goal is to make all of the same compounds you can make from petroleum,’’ said George Huber, the professor leading the research. “When you look at biomass versus crude oil, biomass is significantly cheaper.’’

Huber estimates that once perfected, his technique would be able to produce the equivalent of three barrels of oil for between $30 and $100. By comparison, the price of barrel of crude oil has steadily risen over the past few months to about $70.

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