Cellulosic ethanol mandate too ambitious

Feedstuffs
(12/18/2008)
Jacqui Fatka

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Energy Security and Independence Act (EISA) which included an expanded Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) of 36 billion gallons with only 15 billion gallons from corn-based ethanol. For advanced biofuels it calls for 21 billion gallons or at least 16 billion gallons of cellulosic production by 2022 - an ambitious target considering today only pilot plants are producing ethanol from sources other than corn.

In its Annual Energy Outlook 2009, the Energy Information Administration, projected ethanol use for gasoline blending grows to 12.2 billion gallons and E85 consumption to 17.3 billion gallons in 2030. Biodiesel and biomass-to-liquid diesel fuel use both rise significantly, reaching nearly 2 billion gallons and 5 billion gallons, respectively, in 2030.

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