Publication Details

Year Published

2008

Publication

Increasing feedstock production for biofuels [electronic resource] : economic drivers, environmental implications, and the role of research. [Washington, D.C.] : Biomass Research & Development Initiative, 2008: pages 63-80.

Abstract

The cellulosic feedstocks (see chapter 2) needed to produce 20 billion gallons per year (BGY) of second-generation and other renewable fuels can come from a wide variety of cropland and forestland sources, including imports. The impact of producing these biofuels on U.S. agriculture and forestry will very much depend on the relative proportions of cropland- and forestland-derived feedstocks and the extent to which imports are used to meet the mandate. To meet the 2022 target, upwards of 240 million dry tons of feedstock would be needed from U.S. croplands if no forest-sourced biomass or imported biofuels are used. Much less cropland-derived feedstock would be needed if forest biomass and imports are used. An agricultural policy simulation model was used to identify how production of dedicated energy crops and collection of crop residues, the major sources of cropland-derived biomass, could affect the regional and national mix of crops and overall land use. A separate analysis assesses the contributions from forestland and imports. This chapter describes results from this modeling effort under three different sets of assumptions about the contributions from cropland, forestland, and imports by 2022.

Keywords

Citation

Perlack, Robert D.; Stokes, Bryce J.; Ferrell, John; Bohman, Mary; Buford, Marilyn A.; Skog, Kenneth E.; Dykstra, Dennis P.; Lebow, Patricia K.; Miles, Patrick D. 2008. Cellulosic-based ethanol and the contribution from agriculture and forestry. Increasing feedstock production for biofuels [electronic resource] : economic drivers, environmental implications, and the role of research. [Washington, D.C.] : Biomass Research & Development Initiative, 2008: pages 63-80.