Miscanthus Biofuel Production
A breakthrough in the production process of “green gasoline,” a fuel identical to standard gasoline but produced from sustainable biomass sources such as switch grass, or poplar was announced in the Science Daily on April 8, 2008. They reported on the first direct conversion of plant cellulose into gasoline components by chemical engineers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
At about the same time, chemical engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced a process for creating jet fuel using a green gasoline approach.
We are probably looking at five to 10 years before green gasoline arrives at the pump or finds its way into a fighter jet; however, recent breakthroughs have overcome many hurdles and bringing green gasoline or other biofuels to market looks more promising than ever. And it may become so commonplace that customers will not even be aware that they are pumping biomass fuel into their tanks.
It was also reported in the same paper that green gasoline will be an excellent alternative to bioethanol since it can be used in existing engines and does not incur the 30 percent gas mileage penalty of ethanol-based flex fuel. The theory is that it is cheaper to produce than ethanol fuel.
In the meantime, it looks as though alternative fuels produced from switch grass, Miscanthus x giganteus, and other cellulosic materials are fast replacing the hopes placed on ethanol fuel produced from corn and soy.