Biofuels: GM, New Sources Buoy Prospects
8 June 2010 “The future of American biofuels is very bright,” says Matt Hartwig, director of communications, Renewable Fuels Association. “The Gulf of Mexico disaster serves as a stark and unfortunate reminder of the need for domestically-produced renewable biofuels.” Many of the advancements in biofuel technology have been driven by private investment, Hartwig says. However, “there remains a role for the federal government to play. In particular, loan guarantees and other programs that will help next generation biofuel technologies make it to the commercial market are essential.”
One of these next-generation biofuel technologies may come from Syngenta. Jack Bernans, head of technology acceptance for Syngenta says: “We’re working in the area of improving traits for certain processes. We have a trait that’s pending deregulation that could significantly improve the efficiency of ethanol from corn in the US.” Bernans says the ethanol trait in corn could come out in the next year or so.
Additionally, says Bernans, “There’s a whole area in sugarcane where we’re working on similar types of traits for ethanol production.” Sugarcane is the main source of biofuel in Brazil, the second largest biofuel producing nation and number one exporter of ethanol.
In the US, however, biofuel producers are beginning to look beyond corn and sugarcane, says Hartwig. “Corn and soybeans provide the vast majority of feedstocks for the production of ethanol and biodiesel, respectively. Barley, sorghum and other grains are also gaining in popularity with ethanol producers.
“We are working with next generation ethanol companies that are looking to build upon the success of today’s ethanol industry to bring other feedstocks –- grasses, wood wastes, corn stalks, garbage, and other waste streams –- into the basket of feedstocks from which ethanol is made. Many of these technologies are very close to fruition and need only the extra push that the federal government could provide to put financing packages together and begin commercial production.”
Hartwig is looking for more action from the US government, because even as the technologies improve, demand in the US is not yet there. “We must increase our use of ethanol by allowing more of it into the marketplace,” says Hartwig. “We are urging the US EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] approve the use of E15 (15% ethanol/85% gasoline) for all vehicles.” The current amount allowed is 10%. “This would be a huge step in the intermediate term,” said Hartwig. “Longer term, though, we must build out the infrastructure and produce the vehicles that are capable of using even higher ethanol blends if we want to see the full potential of American biofuel production realized.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said yesterday that he is confident the EPA will increase the standard to 15%. Vilsack is also calling for long-term extensions of the financial incentives for ethanol.
The current mandate from the Obama administration is for the US to use 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022. In 2009, the US produced 10.6 billion gallons of ethanol.
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