MSU biofuels research fills need for new sources

The words are becoming familiar, even if the products aren’t: biofuel, biobased, biodiesel, bioethanol.

All refer to fuel that’s made from bio-produced materials such as plants. Chengci Chen (pronounced Chen-see Chen), an assistant professor of cropping systems at the Central Agricultural Research Center at Moccasin, and his collaborators are investigating Montana’s potential for producing biofuels using "biomass," which refers to all biologically produced materials like grains, straw, hay, trees and fruits. He and his collaborators are working on a project to evaluate the ethanol production potential of various straws, hays, and silages in Montana.

People can make fuel from many kinds of plants, though over 90 percent of ethanol made in the United States comes from corn grain. However, other sources of ethanol are needed, because even if the entire United States’ corn crop was used for ethanol, it would meet only 10 percent of the country’s fuel needs.

By Carol Flaherty

Full Story: http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=3899