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Recycled newspapers could fuel your car, say scientists

Researchers at Tulane University have found a bacteria that can turn cellulose into biofuel. The Tulane team has been experimenting with old copies of the New Orleans Times Picayune newspaper.

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That means all those newspapers sitting in your closet, garage, or that scary back room you don't let anyone into could one day be converted to go-go juice. The Tulane team has been experimenting with old copies of the New Orleans Times Picayune, and reports great success.

TU-103 also has the unique ability to produce butanol in the presence of oxygen, which means lower costs than similar methods requiring an oxygen-free environment.


Perhaps even more important, it gives the newspaper industry more ammunition to make the case for its own relevance. Now we just need a way to turn all our old feature phones into fuel...

Tulane has applied for a patent for a method to produce the biofuel butanol from organic material, a process developed by associate professor David Mullin, right, postdoctoral fellow Harshad Velankar, center, and undergraduate student Hailee Rask. Paula Burch-Celentano / Tulane University