Course: BFM 101 Biofuels Fundamentals

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Water Use for Cellulosic Biofuel Production

Cellulose-based biofuels are the next generation of bioenergy products. Sources of cellulose for biofuel production include perennial grasses, forest wood residues, short-rotation woody crops and agricultural residues. It is assumed these feedstocks will be grown in their native regions under rainfed conditions, with little irrigation.

Cellulosic-based ethanol production promises a significant increase in the volume of fuel ethanol that can be produced in the United States and abroad. Considerable research and “continued advancements in pretreatment technology, fermentation, and collection and storage logistics,” have made the commercial production of cellulose ethanol likely, although commercial facilities have not proven viable yet [1].

Several states, from California to Pennsylvania, South Dakota to Florida, are currently commercializing technologies that utilize cellulose feedstocks (see Figure 3.4), [1].

Breaking down cellulose to be converted into usable sugars for ethanol production is a complex process. However, the use of cellulose for ethanol production expands the available resources that can be used for manufacturing ethanol. Instead of producing ethanol from starch, typically contained in corn and grain sorghum, other materials usually regarded as waste can be used. The cellulose of “corn stover, rice straw and wood chips or ‘energy crops’ of fast-growing trees and grasses can aid in ethanol production,” [1]. “Besides offering an alternative energy resource, they can provide crop diversity and both economic and environmental benefits to local agricultural communities.”

Figure 3.4 – “Current Cellulosic Ethanol Projects in America.” Visit U.S. Cellulosic Ethanol Projectsfor information on the status of each project and methods of production.

Fact Sheet:
Cellulosic Bioenergy

Resources by eXtension, Bioenergy & Sustainability, BIOEN3 CC BY-NC-SA 2.5
www.extension.org/pages/63365/bioenergy-curriculum

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