What is keeping cellulosic ethanol from commercial availability?
In short, the costs associated with being a new technology. Although cellulosic feedstocks such as agricultural and forestry residues and waste materials would be far cheaper than corn grain-the main cost in current ethanol production-the added cost of capital equipment and processing needed to breakdown and then ferment the cellulose and hemicellulose is currently more than the savings. Reducing those costs is the principal focus of the Biomass Program, however, and we anticipate substantial cost reductions. The other main hurdle for the first advanced bioethanol technology producers is just that they would be first with a new technology. Investors are reluctant to commit to unproven technologiesand much of the cost of advanced bioethanol technology is for the capital equipmentso financing construction is a major challenge for the “pioneer” cellulosic ethanol plants. Can I produce my own biofuels? If you have an inexpensive starch or sugar supply to use as a feedstock, the technology
