BIOFUELS
Practical energy solutions
are close at hand
Renewable biofuels have traditionally been made from food crops, like corn, sugarcane and soy. This approach has obvious limitations. However, recent technology advancements have made it possible to make biofuels, called cellulosic biofuels, from inedible biomass — all the stems, stalks and leaves of plants.
Our energy crops maximize the amount of biomass that can be grown per acre. Experts estimate that these new crops in the U.S. could produce as many as 120 billion gallons of biofuels per year, or 75% of current gasoline demand.
Right now, the greatest attention is on ethanol, but our energy crops could also be processed into a number of alternative fuels.
New sources of fuel must be tapped
With caps on corn starch-based ethanol at 15 billion gallons per year, new cellulosic sources must be tapped. The Energy Act of 2007 calls for a minimum of 44% of alternative fuels to be cellulosic by 2022.