Better biofuels

The document advocates for the transition from food-based biofuels to cellulosic biofuels, which are derived from energy crops, agricultural residues, waste, and forest materials. It estimates that the US could sustainably produce up to 40 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuel annually by 2035, potentially reducing oil use by 1.5 million barrels per day and cutting global warming emissions by 164 million metric tons per year.

• Cellulosic biofuels are produced from four main non-food categories: energy crops (such as switchgrass, miscanthus, hybrid poplar, and willow), agricultural residues (such as corn stover and wheat straw), waste materials (including lawn clippings and household garbage), and forest materials (such as tree tops and limbs).
• By 2035, the US could sustainably produce up to 677 million dry tons of non-food biomass, with 610 million dry tons available for cellulosic biofuels. This biomass consists primarily of energy crops (400 million dry tons), followed by agricultural residues (155 million dry tons), urban and mill waste (43 million dry tons), and forests (20 million dry tons). This capacity could realistically produce 40 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuel.
• Cellulosic biofuels can reduce lifecycle global warming emissions by up to 90 percent compared to gasoline. An annual production of 40 billion gallons would reduce oil use by approximately 1.5 million barrels per day and decrease global warming emissions by 164 million metric tons per year, which is equivalent to the emissions of 46 average-sized coal-fired power plants.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2013). Better biofuels. https://www.ucs.org/resources/better-biofuels

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Better biofuels. 2013. https://www.ucs.org/resources/better-biofuels.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Better biofuels |date=9 October 2013 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/better-biofuels |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2013better, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Better biofuels}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2013}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/better-biofuels}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }