With all of the available information out there and the interest in global climate change and clean energy technology, why is it that so few people have heard of cellulosic biofuels? Perhaps because most people don’t know the meaning of “cellulosic” or “biofuels”? And what does “clean” really mean?
OK, so here are my own personal definitions of these terms:
1) Clean energy-a form of energy that is produced with net carbon output of zero, near-zero, or negative (meaning that more carbon is stored than is released into the environment).
2) Cellulosic-made from cellulose, a component of plant cell walls. Plants efficiently make energy (carbs) from sunlight. I like to think of cellulose, a complex carbohydrate consisting of a chain of glucose (sugar) molecules, as plants’ storage facility (like fat in animals) or a “battery” storing energy for later.
3) Biofuels-fuel produced from renewable biomass such as wood waste, perennial grasses (ie; Miscanthus, switchgrass, wheat straw, corn), algae, or trees
So cellulosic biofuels are made from the leafy/woody part of plants, as opposed to the most commonly produced form of ethanol (as of 2010) made from the grain of corn, which is NOT a very clean source of energy AND it diverts a food crop towards energy production. Cellulosic biofuels, on the other hand, while not yet produced at large scale, have enormous potential as a clean energy source. For example, giant perennial grasses such as Miscanthus (up 15 ft tall!!!) have numerous assets as a source of green energy:
1) They can grow on marginal lands and do not compete with land ideally suited for growing food.
2) They require minimal or no fertilizer input, partly by sequestering carbon and nitrogen in below-ground rhizomes. First generation energy crops, such as corn, on the other hand, typically rely on heavy application of synthetic fertilizers. Such fertilizers tend to leach into the soil and groundwater and can have devastating environmental consequences.
3) They promote efficient land use. A minimal amount of land can sustain an incredibly high biomass yield and perennial grasses and trees can be harvested continually for several years after an initial establishment phase.
4) Plants such as Miscanthus have been shown to provide a net carbon sink in the net life cycle of energy production.
5) Providing our own sources of domestic energy can provide new jobs and offer a source of energy security in times of increasing global instability.
While there is unlikely to be a single perfect green energy solution, investment in a diversity of available clean energy technologies, including wind, solar, geothermal, and advanced generation biofuels is a necessary part of our future.
In the U.S, we have the technology and land to produce clean energy in a sustainable, renewable manner, why do it any other way?
