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Obama to invest in wood waste biofuels
06/02/2009
Biofuels derived from non–food based sources are to be a major investment area for the Obama Administration.
Following the problems that occurred in response to the development of food-crop biofuels, the ‘next generation’ of biofuels is on its way. It is hoped that this will mean we can use other biological materials such as timber and algae to produce cleaner and more sustainable fuel.
Obama plans to invest heavily in developing these alternative fuels. Some $25 million is to be invested, by the departments of energy and agriculture, into the development of next generation biofuels.
This announcement was made following an earlier Bush Administration pledge to loan Range Fuels $80 million. This firm is planning to build a refinery in Georgia with the loan. It is at the centre of the new biofuels plan as it produces ethanol from wood chips.
Range Fuels says it hopes its new refinery will initially convert 125 tonnes of wood-based biomass into usable fuel every day. The company says it then intends to increase this amount to 625 tonnes before ramping production up to 1,625 tonnes.
The timber industry in the surrounding regions will provide the wood waste for the refinery. Range says there is ‘hundreds of years supply’ of wood waste in Georgia’s Milion Pines region.
Officials claim the target for the new scheme is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% through the use of the cleaner fuels, which are ‘economically and environmentally sustainable.’
Following the problems that occurred in response to the development of food-crop biofuels, the ‘next generation’ of biofuels is on its way. It is hoped that this will mean we can use other biological materials such as timber and algae to produce cleaner and more sustainable fuel.
Obama plans to invest heavily in developing these alternative fuels. Some $25 million is to be invested, by the departments of energy and agriculture, into the development of next generation biofuels.
This announcement was made following an earlier Bush Administration pledge to loan Range Fuels $80 million. This firm is planning to build a refinery in Georgia with the loan. It is at the centre of the new biofuels plan as it produces ethanol from wood chips.
Range Fuels says it hopes its new refinery will initially convert 125 tonnes of wood-based biomass into usable fuel every day. The company says it then intends to increase this amount to 625 tonnes before ramping production up to 1,625 tonnes.
The timber industry in the surrounding regions will provide the wood waste for the refinery. Range says there is ‘hundreds of years supply’ of wood waste in Georgia’s Milion Pines region.
Officials claim the target for the new scheme is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% through the use of the cleaner fuels, which are ‘economically and environmentally sustainable.’
RSS