by Rajdeep Golech (Biomass Magazine) Feedstock sourcing is a critical aspect in the development of cellulosic biofuel businesses. -- Emphasis toward greenhouse gas reduction and massive availability of agriculture and forest residue has led to an increased interest in converting biomass into second-generation cellulosic biofuel or power. The U.S. alone could produce over 1 billion tons of biomass for bioenergy.
The U.S. EPA has a set a target of 16 billion gallons per year of cellulosic biofuel by 2022. A few commercial-scale cellulosic biofuel plants have been commissioned, and a few are under development. However, the industry is running significantly behind targets, and further reduction in cellulosic biofuel production cost is necessary.
Advancements in fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis have reduced cellulosic biofuel conversion cost (biomass at factory gate to biofuel) by severalfold. Currently, conversion cost is less than 30 percent of the production cost of cellulosic biofuel, while more than 60 percent of the cost is associated with biomass supply. This involves harvesting, biomass collection, transportation, and management of biomass supply buffers. Despite biomass supply cost having a significant impact, there have been limited advancements in past 10 years. To bring significant reductions in cellulosic biofuel production costs, increased focus toward biomass supply chain is needed. READ MORE
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