For thousands of years now, yeast has been used to turn sugar into alcohol and the carbohydrate-providing corn can easily be broken into sugars.

To help the environment from the increasing emissions of carbon gas — a major source of greenhouse gas, hence global warming – researchers have planned to produce ethanol from the still untapped source, i.e. carbon monoxide gas.

An Auckland-based company – LanzaTech – has claimed to have developed a fermentation process in which ethanol is produced not from a carbohydrate, but from a gas — carbon monoxide. In this process, ‘bacteria’ are made to consume carbon monoxide, producing ethanol in the process.

This bacteria-produced fuel can be used as an alternative fuel to gasoline – the polluter. It can also be used to boost octane that will eventually reduce pollution when added to gasoline.

For establishing a pilot plant for performing the engineering work to prepare for commercial-scale ethanol production, the LanzaTech will need $3.5 million investment. This investment will be made by the venture firm, Khosla Ventures.