Wallace's Farmer, IA
10-24-07
CAST Releases Report on Cellulosic Biomass
Compiled By Staff
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology located in Ames, Iowa, is
releasing a new CAST commentary. The report is titled Convergence of
Agriculture and Energy: II. Producing Cellulosic Biomass for Biofuels. The
release of the report coincides with two major meetings held in the United States
this past week that focus on the topic. Last week in Des Moines The World Food
Prize Symposium discussed Biofuels and Biofoods: The Global Challenges of
Emerging Technologies and the Brookings Institute held its Opportunity 2008-Iowa Forum on Energy and National Security.
"Current biofuel production in the United States relies primarily on conversion of
corn grain to ethanol, but future systems are expected to depend more
extensively on plant biomass," says Task Force Chair Dr. Steve Fales,
associate director of the Office of Biorenewables Program at Iowa State
University.
Money, policy needed to make it happen
"In addition, current cropping systems generally are designed to optimize grain
production and are not designed to harvest all the aboveground portion of the
plant for cellulose-containing biomass," notes Fales. "Significant, immediate
national investments are needed, along with changes in policy, to address
challenges limiting the sustainable production and efficient use of cellulosic
biomass as a fuel feedstock to meet anticipated U.S. demand."
Convergence of Agriculture and Energy: II. Producing Cellulosic Biomass for
Biofuels covers several critical questions, including:
* What issues should be evaluated in a realistic appraisal of current and future
feedstock supplies?
* What production methods should be used to maximize agronomic systems?
* What characteristics should distinguish crops developed specifically for
production of biomass?
* What improvements in the feedstock supply system will most likely lead to
enhanced conversion, and in turn, create revenue?
* What areas should be emphasized in educating the public on the
comprehensive principles of biomass-to-ethanol production?
Full text is available online for free
CAST Executive Vice President John Bonner concludes, "To advance agroecosystem production beyond that achievable with existing practices, new
knowledge, new systems, and new genetic resources must be created, and the
environment for continued discovery must be ongoing. CAST is pleased to
present this document as part of the ongoing biofuels discussion."
The full text of Convergence of Agriculture and Energy: II. Producing Cellulosic
Biomass for Biofuels (CAST Commentary QTA 2007-2) is available online
without charge at the CAST website (www.cast-science.org), along with many of
CAST's other scientific publications.
CAST is an international consortium of 38 scientific and professional societies. It
assembles, interprets, and communicates credible science-based information
regionally, nationally, and internationally to legislators, regulators, policymakers,
the media, the private sector, and the public.