Much-touted cellulosic ethanol from plant waste remains a long way from commercial production reality.
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"To get the big numbers, you're going to have to bring on cellulosic ethanol, " he says.
The United States actually had two commercial cellulosic ethanol plants in operation by 1920.
At very best, solar, wind and cellulosic ethanol will make 20% contributions by 2025.
ZeaChem was founded to produce both cellulosic ethanol and bio-based acetate and acetic acid.
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Two years ago numerous cellulosic biofuel companies trumpeted their breakthroughs to the world.
In the recent Farm Bill discussions, I have consistently advocated for higher cellulosic biofuel mandates over subsidies.
This mandate was issued despite the fact that there were no commercial cellulosic ethanol plants in operation.
While next-generation biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, are struggling to come of age, corn ethanol is well-established.
Despite the obvious shortfall in cellulosic fuel, EPA refused to reduce the total volume of biofuels required.
This will allow for a greater alcohol production potential as well as a greater cellulosic biofuel production potential.
For years, a clutch of clean tech companies has been working on creating cellulosic biofuels, to no avail.
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You could make cellulosic ethanol with a tenth as much fossil fuel, according to Dartmouth researcher Lee Lynd.
The firm has put money into a handful of next-generation cellulosic ethanol companies.
It also takes biodiesel, biofuel, cellulosic ethanol, nuclear power, more drilling in ANWR.
The fuel is called cellulosic ethanol and it's a favorite alternative to gasoline.
Cellulosic ethanol is still made in small quantities and a number of once-ambitious startups have gone out of business.
The cellulosic ethanol industry produced zero gallons in 2011 and zero in 2012.
Cobalt Technologies says it can succeed where others have so far failed and produce a chemical called biobutanol using cellulosic feedstocks.
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Now, it is true that solar and maybe cellulosic ethanol have the potential of making bigger technological leaps than traditional sources.
He also sees cellulosic ethanol as a strong technology for the future.
Right now, though, there's only one factory that's actually making cellulosic ethanol.
We also expect to be announcing groundbreaking plants for commercial scale -- cellulosic and advanced biorefinery plants -- in the next two years.
Cellulosic ethanol uses non-food feed stocks with significant greenhouse gas emission reductions, and the first commercial-scale plant is being built today in Soperton, Ga.
It is clear that corn ethanol has served as a stepping stone for cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels, mitigating risk and establishing a market.
It will help construct a refinery to convert 600, 000 tons of energy grasses per year into an estimated 20 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol.
Beer contains about the ethanol concentration that is achieved when cellulosic ethanol is produced (and in many cases, beer has a higher alcohol concentration).
Further, the system penalizes gasoline blenders for not purchasing cellulosic ethanol despite there being no qualifying cellulosic ethanol on the market to buy.
Cellulosic ethanol was belle of the renewable fuels ball in 2007 when President George W. Bush touted it during the State of the Union address.
Charles Wyman, a professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of California, Riverside, said the sources of cellulosic ethanol are more widely available.
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