US Government Invests in Cellulosic Ethanol
The US U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that it will invest up to $385 million for six biorefinery projects over the next four years.

According to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman, “These biorefineries will play a critical role in helping to bring cellulosic ethanol to market, and teaching us how we can produce it in a more cost effective manner.”

Cellulosic ethanol is an alternative fuel made from a wide variety of non-food plant materials, also known as feedstocks, including agricultural waste and industrial plant waste like saw dust and paper pulp.

This initiative is part of the Bush Administration’s push to support commercialisation of biofuel projects in a bid to increase the country’s use of renewable and alternative fuels for transportation.

Funding into research and development of cellulosic ethanol could be the key to eliminating society’s reliance on oil. It will also lead to the wide-scale use of non-food based biomass, such as trees, forest residues and perennial grasses in the production of transportation fuels, electricity and other products.