Biofuels in Perspective

2
Sustainable Production of
Cellulosic Feedstock for
Biorefineries in the USA
Matthew T. Carr
Policy Director, Industrial and Environmental Section, Biotechnology Industry
Organization, Washington, USA
2.1 Introduction
James R. Hettenhaus
President and CEO, Chief Executive Assistance, Inc., Charlotte, NC, USA
Demand for alternative feedstocks for fuels, chemicals and a range of commercial products
has grown dramatically in the early years of the 21st century, driven by the high
price of crude oil, government policy to promote alternatives and reduce dependence
on foreign petroleum, and efforts to reduce net emissions of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases. This is particularly true for renewable feedstocks from agricultural
sources.
For example, in the United States, ethanol production, primarily from corn grain, has
more than tripled since 2000. Annual US production of ethanol is expected to exceed
7 billion gallons in 2008, displacing nearly 5 % of the projected 145 billion gallons of US
gasoline demand. 1 Sales of biobased plastics are also expanding.
The growing availability of economically competitive biobased alternatives to petroleum
can be attributed in large part to advances in the production and processing of corn grain for
Biofuels. Edited by Wim Soetaert, Erick J. Vandamme.
© 2009 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-470-02674-8