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12/08/2008 11:11 AM
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New Technologies Key to Sustainable Feedstock for Biofuels - report
SustainableBusiness.com News
A new government report examines the economic feasibility of developing both farm- and forest-derived
biofuel feedstocks to meet national targets for biofuels to reduce
gasoline consumption.
The interagency Biomass Research and Development Board released the report that new technologies resulting from research and development are the linchpin to developing a sustainable biofuel industry.
This report addresses the uncertainty surrounding the use of
additional feedstocks to meet the Nation's biofuels goals-namely, what
types of feedstocks and at what prices, grown where, and with what
implications for greenhouse gases and sustainability.
"Our national security, our economy, and the future of the planet require that we explore the development of biofuels in a cost-effective, environmentally sound manner and that we move beyond food crops to include a diverse base of feedstocks," said Dr. Gale Buchanan, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, who co-chairs the Biomass Research and Development Board. "This report addresses the constraints and implications of meeting our biofuel production goals and provides invaluable guidance for further research."
Last year's energy bill set out a Renewable Fuels Standard that calls
for production of 36 billion gallons of biofuels annually by 2022.
The biofuel industry has struggled this year from high commodity prices
on grains and more recently from the drop in gasoline prices. The
industry has also been criticized, perhaps unfairly, for contributing
to food shortages.
The Biomass Research and Development Board, co-chaired by officials
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of
Energy (DOE), coordinates the efforts of nine Federal agencies and two
Executive-branch offices in advancing research and development of
biobased products and bioenergy.
The report, Increasing Feedstock Production for Biofuels: Economic Drivers, Environmental Implications, and the Role of Research, is available at the link below.
Website: http://www.brdisolutions.com
