Hybrids such as the new Toyota Prius Plug-In are already harvesting attention for the Blue Oval's green thumb. But leave it to the Japanese automaker to bring environmental initiatives to the next level. Earlier this month, Toyota revealed a newly developed strain of yeast that will aid in the automotive use of the better-burning, alternative fuel ethanol.

How does it work? In layman's terms, the new yeast efficiently ferments xylose, a sugar produced from broken-down plant fibers. Not only does the new strain ferment better than the yeast naturally found in this process but it is also resistant to fermentation-inhibiting substances like acetic acid. With the capacity to achieve ethanol fermentation density levels of a remarkably high 47 grams per liter, the breakthrough technology by Toyota is predicted to significantly improve bio-fuel yields while lowering production costs. Apart from reducing CO2 emissions and introducing better energy diversity, the use of ethanol reduces impact on world food supplies because it is a product of non-edible plants.

This new method of ethanol production is still in the testing phase but Toyota plans to commercialize the alternative fuel by 2020. For now, TMC (Toyota Motor Corporation) has released a series of urban greening products through its subsidiary Toyota Roof Garden Corporation: Smart Green Parking and Smart Green Wall. These products are intended to create greener environments by leveraging plants to lower parking surface temperature and reduce indoor air electricity use.

If keeping our environmental footprint as small as possible is important to you, then be sure to check out any of our new Toyota hybrid models. With all the environmental initiatives that Toyota continues to release, [Dealer] at [Address] [City], [State] promises to keep you up to date.

Source: ¹http://www.torquenews.com/397/toyota-reveals-breakthrough-cellulosic-ethanol-production