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March 18, 2010
Under the RFS2, cellulosic biofuels are ethanol, other alcohols, or other renewable fuels derived from the cellulose, hemicellulose, or lignin found in plants (i.e. renewable biomass). Renewable biomass, as defined in the law, can include planted energy crops from previously cleared, unforested land (e.g., mixed prairie grasses, miscanthus, switchgrass, etc.); crop residues (e.g., corn cobs, stover, wheat straw, etc.); renewable portions of municipal solid waste and construction and demolition waste (i.e., separated food, yard, and post-recycled paper and wood waste); woody biomass from pre-existing tree plantations; and residues from forestry activities from qualified non-federal forests (e.g. slash and pre-commercial thinning). The RFS2 requires cellulosic biofuels to have lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions at least 60 percent less than the baseline 2005 emissions for gasoline. Cellulosic materials can be converted into biofuels using both bio-chemical (e.g., enzymes and fermentation) and thermo-chemical (e.g., pyrolysis and gasification) processes.
On March 18, 2010, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing on the state of the cellulosic biofuel industry and its prospects for producing the volumes required by the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) in the coming years. In the RFS2, Congress mandated that 100 million gallons of cellulosic biofuels be blended into the nation’s liquid fuel supply starting in 2010, increasing rapidly to 16 billion gallons per year by 2022. In its recent RFS2 rule making, the Environmental Protection Agency reduced the 2010 quota to 6.5 million gallons. Despite substantial federal investment in research and development, the construction of commercial scale cellulosic biorefineries has been delayed by technological, economic, regulatory, and policy uncertainties. This briefing examined what the industry will need to get on track to meet the federal mandate.