
At military mess halls in Iraq, trash is also energy treasure. Army scientists have found a relatively easy way to make ethanol out of sugar. Under the project, called, “Tactical Garbage to Energy Refinery,” engineers take high carbohydrate content foods and ferment them into ethanol, says James Valdes, Army scientific advisor for biotechnology. Mess halls can be a great source of fuel because soldiers “drink a lot of Kool-Aid,” Valdes tells reporters