Conversion biofuel manufacturing

U.S. capacity for producing biofuels manufactured by biological or thermal conversion of biomass must be dramatically increased to approach the potential contributions based on biomass availabiUty. For example, an incremental EJ per year of methane requires about 210 times the biological methane production capacity that now exists, and an incremental EJ per year of fuel ethanol requires about 14 times existing ethanol fermentation plant capacity. 

We have so far focused the economic discussion of the manufacture of biofuels. However, chemical intermediates are also promising products of biomass conversion. Four reasons can be mentioned ... 

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