ADVANCED BIOFUELS NOT ADVANCING

Biofuel push a bust, report hints
John Roach, October 5, 2011 (MSNBC)

"Unless a major technological breakthrough occurs in the next few years, a U.S. government [congressionally mandated Renewable Fuel Standard that would] put 16 billions of gallons of cellulosic biofuel into gas tanks annually by 2022 will be a bust, hints a new report.

"…Of the mandated total of 36 billion gallons from a mix of biofuels, the corn-derived ethanol target of 15 billion gallons is doable, the report says…But a big part of the standard — 16 billion gallons of [more advanced] cellulosic biofuels from non-edible plant material such as cornstalks and switchgrass — is unlikely to be met…[because the] technologies are just not advanced enough to be commercial…"

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"Currently, no commercially viable biorefineries exist for converting cellulosic biomass to fuel. That's daunting given that it took 30 years to go from zero to 200 plus plants producing more than 15 billion gallons of corn-ethanol…Breakthroughs are needed in every pathway to produce cellulosic biofuel…[F]ast pyrolysis, which breaks down biomass with heat, produces unstable oils that can't be further refined to gas, diesel, and jet fuel…[G]asification…remains too expensive to be commercially viable due to capital costs and catalysts used in the process…

"And even if technological breakthroughs drive down costs and make cellulosic biofuel commercially viable, a question remains whether or not its use will impact land use or help curb greenhouse gas emissions implicated in global climate change…Further complicating progress on cellulosic ethanol is regulatory uncertainty, which hobbles investment in R&D…[T]here's not even a guarantee the fuel standard will be around in the future or enforced…"