Marlboro’s Qteros wins patent for plant-to-ethanol process

BostonHerald.com (Business)
By Christine McConville
Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Qteros Inc. of Marlboro has just received approval from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its Q Microbe process for turning plant waste into biofuel.

The Q Microbe was discovered by UMass-Amherst professor Susan Leschine and research associate Thomas Warnick during a walk near the Quabbin Reservoir.

In discovering the natural bacteria, the scientists realized that cellulose can be converted to ethanol more quickly and more cheaply that previously thought.

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