SC2020 - Bio-ethanol

Fungus is a big part of the diet on settler ships, and obviously whenever you have fungus, someone will develop yeast for the brewing of alcohol. Once the settlers found themselves on Garuda without ready access to fusion core reactors, they rediscovered alcohol as a power source. Since life on Garuda is also carbon based, the yeast from earth can ferment it as well and both native species and the adapted corn and soy that the settlers brought with them are being used for production of bio-ethanol. Bio-ethanol has become the standard fuel on The Bright Side for vehicles and generators alike. What little technology they have in the outskirt are typically power through bio-ethanol. The existence of fossil fuel has actually been lost to history, as that technology was abandoned long before the age of stars. Bio-ethanol is however surrounded by a lot of controversy, in general the soil of Garuda is very poor and using plants for producing power means that they are not producing food. Many argue that the fuel they produce allow for more efficient farming, thus making up for the use of the land. But when you are hungry and you see several of fields worth of food being dropped into big tanks to be eaten by yeast and converted to fuel, that argument easily rings hollow. This is also one of the reasons that while it is widespread, it is generally only used for the most important task. Burning bio-ethanol for leisurely activities could easily get you in trouble and might call down the wrath of the village and you would likely find yourself working double time during the next harvest season – and likely in one of the heavy lifting jobs, so that you may learn all the hours that goes into producing your little bit of fun.

Type

Biomaterial