Grass-based biofuels cut much more CO2 - US study

Tue 08 January 2008 View all news

Producing biofuels from fast growing switchgrass can cut CO2 by over 90% and produce more than five times as much energy than is required to manufacture it according to a new US study.

The researchers from the US Department of Agriculture's Agriculture research service found that one acre of  grassland could, on average, deliver 320 gallons of bioethanol.

The large-scale study took five years to complete and involved 10 farms ranging in size from three to nine hectares. Its results are more positive than a prior study which suggested the net energy gain from producing ethanol from switchgrass was nearer 350% than the 500+% shown by USDA.

The United States is undergoing a major push to increase biofuels use with most production currently based on corn. The USDA researchers conclude that although the process of producing ethanol from switchgrass is more complex than using food crops such as wheat or corn, this "second generation" biofuel could produce much higher energy yields per tonne because it utilises the whole plant rather than just the seeds

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