grassahol
n.— «The latest research at Oklahoma State University includes work on a different approach that uses switchgrass to create what’s called “grassahol.” The entire plant, diced into bits, is burned at high temperatures in a device called a “gasifier.” This produces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen gases that are “bubbled” through a bioreactor, where micro-organisms convert them into ethanol. As an engine fuel, it’s about 85 percent as efficient as gasoline.» —“You’ve Heard of Ethanol; Here Comes ‘Grassahol’” by Ted Landphair in Stillwater, Oklahoma Voice of America Dec. 21, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Episode Archives
Hair on Your Tongue (episode #1517) 02/11/2019: If you speak both German and Spanish, you may find yourself reaching for a German word instead of a Spanish one, and vice versa. This... [more]
Train of Thought (episode #1516) 02/04/2019: Chances are you recognize the expressions Judgment Day and root of all evil as phrases from the Bible. There are many others, such as the... [more]
Colonial English (episode #1515) 01/28/2019: The anatomy of effective prose, and the poetry of anatomy. Ever wonder what it'd be like to audit a class taught by a famous writer?... [more]
Space Cadet (episode #1514) 12/24/2018: We have books for language-lovers and recommendations for history buffs. • How did the word boondoggle come to denote a wasteful project? The answer involves... [more]
Howling Fantods (episode #1513) 12/17/2018: Are there words and phrases that you misunderstood for an embarrassingly long time? Maybe you thought that money laundering literally meant washing drug-laced dollar bills,... [more]
You must log in to post a comment.