Switchgrass is quickly becoming the favorite of the biofuel group. Recently results from a five year study involving fields on farms in 3 states has brought to light the potential for switchgrass to be a great biomass fuel source that yields significantly more energy than is required to produce and convert it to cellulosic ethanol.
The study involved fields of switch grass in nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The study examined the net energy output, bimass yields and net energy output estimated in creating cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass. The study concluded that switchgrass creates 540% more energy than is needed to grow, harvest and process the switchgrass into a useable ethanol fuel
In this study, switchgrass managed as a bioenergy crop produced estimated ethanol yields per acre similar to those from corwn grown in the exact same states.
Six biorefineries are being built and co-funded by the U.S. Department of energy and should be complet eover the next few years. These biofuel implacements should produce around 130 million gallons of celluosic biofuel per year.
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