Green Technology

Switchgrass shows promise as a source of cellulosic ethanol according to study by University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which demonstrates this crop producing 540 percent more energy than is needed to grow, harvest and convert it. ...

... "In the future, perennial crops, such as switchgrass, as well as crop residues and forestry biomass could be developed as major cellulosic ethanol sources that could potentially displace 30 percent of current U.S. petroleum consumption, Vogel said. Technology to convert biomass into cellulosic ethanol is being developed and is now at the development stage where small commercial scale biorefineries are beginning to be built with scale-up support from the U.S. Department of Energy. " ...

Via University of Nebraska, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Major Net Energy Gain from Switchgrass-based Ethanol