Is it food or fuel?

Bio-oil is one of many alternative fuels being developed to reduce our dependence on oil. But it didn't start out that way.

The stuff can be made from just about any organic material (also known as biomass) - wood chips, corn stalks, agricultural waste, etc. The US grows enough biomass to replace at least a third of its annual petroleum use. Starting with bio-oil instead of crude, fuel producers can make syngas (a synthetic alternative to crude oil) and, from there, further process it into automotive diesel.

Not bad when you consider that rapid thermal processing, the process used to convert biomass into bio-oil, was originally marketed as a way to make foods taste better. Reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live skit.

[For more, take a look at Wired.]