U.S. Pursuing Renewable Energy Through Biofuels Production
However, whether cellulosics and advanced biofuels can finally fulfill their early promise remains to be seen.
History of Biofuels Development in the United States
The United States has a long history of producing and using biofuels to meet its energy needs. Ethanol made from corn and other plant materials has been blended into gasoline for over a century as an oxygenate to reduce air pollution. However, modern biofuels development began in the late 1970s in response to oil supply uncertainties and price shocks. The 1978 Energy Tax Act provided tax incentives for using alcohol fuels which helped establish the corn ethanol industry. By 1980, about 100 ethanol plants were operating across the Midwest and Plains states. Over the next two decades, federal and state policies continued supporting biofuels research and commercialization.
Rise of the Corn Ethanol Industry
The passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005 was a major boost for the corn ethanol industry. It mandated the use of 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels annually by 2012 with a focus on corn ethanol. This created a huge U.S. Biofuels for corn that benefited Midwest farmers and spurred the building of over 200 new ethanol plants. By 2007, the U.S. was producing over 6 billion gallons of ethanol per year, mostly from corn. While this helped reduce petroleum use in gasoline, concerns grew about the impacts of diverting so much corn from food/feed to fuel. The industry also faced criticism that corn ethanol provided little if any reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Development of Cellulosic Ethanol
To address these issues, the U.S. refocused biofuels targets on cellulosic technologies that could use non-food feedstocks like corn stover, wood residues and perennial grasses. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 mandated producing 16 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuels by 2022. This prompted billions in public and private funding for research to make cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive. While several pilot plants operated in the 2010s, none achieved commercial scale due to technical challenges in deconstructing and fermenting cellulosic biomass. As a result, actual production stalled at a tiny fraction of targets. The industry was forced to acknowledge that scaling up cellulosic technologies would take much longer than initially projected.
Blend Wall and the Advanced Biofuel Mandate
Meanwhile, corn ethanol approached a “blend wall” where no more could be absorbed into the gasoline supply due to engine compatibility concerns. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a rule in 2015 redirecting biofuels mandates from corn ethanol to “advanced” categories like cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel. This recognized that cellulosics were not ready for large-scale use, but it aimed to support technologies with promise like algae-based fuels and drop-in biosynthetics. Projects were established to produce these advanced biofuels from sources such as municipal solid waste, agricultural/forestry residues, and purpose-grown energy crops. However, biodiesel and renewable diesel remained the primary means for obligated parties to meet the advanced biofuel volume requirements.
Current State of the Biofuels Industry
Today, the U.S. biofuels sector is led by corn ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol production has stabilized at around 15 billion gallons annually, the blend wall limit. Nearly all gasoline now contains 10% ethanol blended as E10. Biodiesel output has also grown steadily, reaching over 2 billion gallons in 2022 mostly from soybean and waste oils. Cellulosic ethanol is just beginning commercial scale-up after years of delays, while algal and other advanced technologies are years away from significant production volumes. Federal tax incentives and biofuel mandates continue supporting research into making cellulosics and next-gen fuels cost-competitive. The industry also pursues higher ethanol blends like E15 and development of flex-fuel vehicles that can use mixtures up to E85 as ways to consume more biofuels in transportation. Overall, renewable fuels now displace over 10% of petroleum used for transport purposes, helping boost U.S. energy security and rural economies in the process. However, whether cellulosics and advanced biofuels can finally fulfill their early promise remains to be seen.
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Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravina-pandya-1a3984191