U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Wednesday that it will invest 250 million U.S. dollars in the development of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels.

The money will be used to establish and operate two new Bioenergy Research Centers to accelerate basic research on the development, said Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman during a visit to Channahon, Illinois.

"This is an important step toward our goal of replacing 30 percent of transportation fuels with biofuels by 2030," Bodman said.

"The mission of these centers is to accelerate research that leads to breakthroughs in basic science to make biofuels a cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels," he added.

The two centers will be dedicated to conducting systems research on microbes and plants, with the goal of harnessing nature's own powerful mechanisms for producing energy from sunlight, said a statement released by the department.

A major focus will be on understanding how to reengineer biological processes for more efficient conversion of plant fiber, or cellulose, into ethanol, a substitute for gasoline, it said.

Source: Xinhua