Leveraging SBIR to Advance Cellulosic Ethanol Innovation

Ethanol Producer Magazine
May 2010
By Phyl Speser

The U.S. DOE Small Business Innovation Research Program seeks to reduce the time to market for cellulosic ethanol by supporting innovative technologies.

Cellulosic ethanol is at best a long-term niche player in a post internal combustion world. In the long run, fuel cells and electric power will provide power for most transportation and small scale power applications. Ethanol pencils out, but it is likely other technologies will pencil better—especially where population concentration allows for economies of scale in production and network economies in delivery of clean electric power. Ethanol combustion still emits pollutants, although in lower amounts. Further, growing and harvesting feedstocks and producing ethanol is not energy neutral.

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