Alternative fuels expert available to comment on Bush speech Jan. 23, 2007

January 23, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With President Bush’s State of the Union speech tonight expected to focus on domestic issues, including America’s oil dependence, a University of Florida researcher is available to comment on alternative fuels.

James Preston, a microbiology and cell sciences professor studying such alternatives, said he expects the president — as he did last year — to spotlight the need for alternatives to foreign oil.

“I expect he’s going to talk about the issue of energy independence and the value of that in terms of our international relations — needing to become independent,” Preston said. “I think he’s probably going to couch it in terms of a requirement for security.”

Preston studies bacterial enzymes that might be used to convert biomass into ethanol, which could then be used in alternative fuels. He is interested in developing enzymes for processing the material found in wood and crop residues to release fermentable sugars that could be used in fuels and other bio-based products.

Preston will be available for comment before or after the president’s address. He can be reached at 352-466-0720 or by e-mail at jpreston@ufl.edu.