Improving biofuel feedstocks

Corn stover–the leaves, stalks, husks, and cobs that remain in the field after harvesting—can be used as a renewable feedstock for biofuel production. However, relying exclusively on crop residues may be too costly for biofuel plants due to the costs in obtaining stover from distant suppliers. This analysis looks at the potential of including energy crops, such as switchgrass, in the mix of feedstocks to produce biofuels. The authors find that if switchgrass is grown on marginal land, its inclusion in the feedstock mix not only reduces the cost of producing biofuels but also their carbon footprint without displacing food crops.

Sesmero, J.P., N.U. Trull, and B.M. Gramig (2021). Economic viability and carbon footprint of switchgrass for cellulosic biofuels: Insights from a spatial multi-feedstock procurement landscape analysis. GCB-Bioenergy, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12843.