Next-Generation Biofuels - Penn State Institutes of Energy and the ...

8 NEXT-GENERATION BIOFUELS
ment pressures throughout much of the region. Farmers
find it economically difficult to expand production of
traditional crops and thus difficult to support the current
biofuels industry.
However, impending advances in technology will soon
spawn the next generation of biofuels. Cellulosic ethanol
and other fuels made from crop residues, perennial
grasses, woody material, manure, algae and even municipal
waste (see Figure 3) will help overcome the challenges
associated with corn-based ethanol, such as nutrient leaching
and degraded water quality. Biofuels also represent an
opportunity to move farming in the region from a chronically
low-margin sector of the local economy into an area
of sustainable growth and value-added opportunities.
Extensive research is being conducted throughout the
country to define the most efficient methodologies for
producing cellulosic ethanol at a cost and volume that
will meet market needs. As seen in Figure 4, there are
currently 55 pilot plants and early commercial ventures
under construction in the United States that will assist in