DOE Publishes Roadmap for Developing Cellulosic Ethanol
July 15, 2006
The roadmap also identifies the research required to overcome challenges to the large-scale production of cellulosic ethanol, including maximizing biomass feedstock productivity, developing better processes by which to break down cellulosic materials into sugars and optimizing the fermentation process to convert sugars to ethanol.
The focus of the research plan is to use advances in biotechnology - first developed in the Human Genome Project and continued in the Genomics: GTL program in the DOE Office of Science - to jump-start a new fuel industry whose products can be transported, stored and distributed with only modest modifications to the existing infrastructure and can fuel many of today’s vehicles.
"Cellulosic ethanol has the potential to be a major source for transportation fuel for America’s energy future," Undersecretary for Science Raymond L. Orbach said. "Low production cost and high efficiency require transformational changes in processing cellulose to ethanol. DOE's Genomics: GTL program is poised to help do just that."
The new roadmap was developed during a December 2005 workshop hosted jointly by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the Office of Science and the Office of the Biomass Program in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
The report, Breaking the Biological Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol: A Joint Research Agenda, and a fact sheet on the report may be viewed at www.doegenomestolife.org/biofuels.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).