§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Energy what investigation his Department has made of Manchester university's project to produce oil from cellular waste; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr.John MooreA number of methods for producing liquid fuels from biomass—organic wastes, sorted refuse 439W and crops grown specifically for energy purposes—are being investigated in detail by my Department as part of its biofuels R and D programme. The production of oil from cellular waste is one possible conversion route which the Department's energy technology support unit is considering and the unit's staff have spoken recently to the Manchester university team about their laboratory project.
Work on cellular waste conversion is at a very early research stage and an efficient, economic conversion process for the bulk supply of liquid fuels has not yet been identified.