A new ally in the energy crisis: Termites

Termites, the dread of homeowners worldwide, could play a significant role in the ethanol industry.

“That could produce about 130 billion gallons of ethanol,” said Somerville. The U.S. uses about 140 billion gallons of transportation fuel a year, he added. Ethanol has only about two-thirds of the energy content of gas, so waste product ethanol couldn’t fully displace gas. Still, the figures indicate that waste product ethanol could, potentially, replace nearly 60 percent of the gas consumed today.

news