It is now clear that, for many reasons, corn has serious limitations as feedstock for biofuel production. While cellulosic biomass can potentially provide a sizable fraction of the US liquid fuel needs for transportation, current technologies must be further improved to realize cost-competitive processes for cellulosic biofuels. This presentation will discuss three major scientific and engineering challenges to this end. Identification of these challenges is based on an analysis of the biomass-to-biofuels value chain which allows assessment of present production costs as well as their sensitivity to changes at critical steps of the value chain. This exercise guides establishing of research priorities and also supports guarded optimism for the development of competitive processes for fuel production from renewable resources in the intermediate future.
Webinar content is available with the kind permission of the author(s) solely for the purpose of furthering AIChE’s mission to educate, inform and improve the practice of professional chemical engineering. The content reflects the views, opinions, and recommendations of the presenters. AIChE does not warrant or represent, expressly or by implication, the correctness or accuracy of the content of the information presented. All other uses are forbidden without the express consent of the author(s). For permission to re-use, please contact chemepermissions@aiche.org. Attendee contact information, including email addresses, will be shared with AIChE, with the option to unsubscribe from future communications.
Explore More Areas of Advancement
AIChE Practice+ provides learners with opportunities to work on real-world challenges through industry internships and competitions.
With AIChE Career Discovery®, we'll help you to identify aptitudes and skills you’ll need in order to achieve your full potential at various career stages.
AIChE Credential validates your proficiency with potential employers in areas such as process intensification, safety, sustainability and others.