Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
2014
Citation
Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, 2550 N Diers Ave., Suite L, Grand Island, NE 68801. Rainwater Basin JV GIS Lab, 203 W 2nd St. Second floor, Grand Island, NE 68801.
Abstract
Second generation biofuel production is increasingly being promoted and explored by researchers and government organizations (Tilman et al. 2009; Mitchell et al. 2012; Uden 2012). Yet, few commercial-scale advanced biofuel production facilities have been established, partly due to the lack of infrastructure required to manufacture ethanol from alternative crop types, such as sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) or switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). As pressure for advanced biofuel production increases, ethanol companies such as Abengoa Bioenergy are preparing to implement exploratory production on a large scale. In 2013, a proposal was established to convert one or both of Abengoa Bioenergy’s traditional corn feedstock ethanol manufacturing facilities in Ravenna and York, Nebraska to sorghum-based advanced biofuel production facilities. Advanced biofuel production in the region may help reduce land-use stressors on the environment, water supplies, and wildlife populations, particularly if grassland-dominant crop types are also used in the manufacturing process.
Comments
Copyright 2014 Rainwater Basin Joint Venture.