the efficient production of ethanol from low - cost biomass has become increasingly important in making ethanol competitive with gasoline and decreasing the united states &# 39 ; dependence on foreign oil . for example , to reduce the cost of transporting biomass to ethanol production facilities , mobile systems for producing ethanol from biomass are provided . also provided are small - scale ethanol production facilities . for example , instead of transporting biomass to the production facility , the facility is transported to the biomass or is located nearby the source of the biomass . the ethanol production facilities or components thereof may be transported via land , water , or air . production of other products , such as hydrocarbons , natural gas , hydrogen gas , plastics , polymers , and proteins , can also be made by the methods and facilities . any product described herein can be made in finished form or un - finished form and moved , e . g ., to a fixed facility , e . g ., fixed production facility .