BioFuel Seeds
Sustainable crops can strengthen energy security, promote economic development, and protect the environment.
NOTE: Click the "All" button at bottom of page to see all varieties viable for Biofuel production.
Biofuels are produced from living organisms or from metabolic by-products (organic or food waste products). In order to be considered a biofuel the fuel must contain over 80 percent renewable materials.
Test plots of Switchgrass at Auburn University have produced up to 15 tons of dry biomass per acre. Five-year yields average 11.5 tons, enough to make 1,150 gallons of ethanol per acre each year. Additional studies show that Switchgrass ethanol produces 94% less CO2 than oil.
A biofuel is originally derived from the photosynthesis process and can therefore often be referred to as a solar energy source. There are pros and cons to using biofuels as an energy source, however, rising petroleum prices are not among them. Merrill Lynch commodity strategist Francisco Blanch remarked that oil and gasoline prices would be about 15 percent higher if biofuel producers were not increasing their output.
In fact, the U. S. biodiesel industry is helping increase the nation's refining capacity by building plants that produce an American-made, cleaner burning fuel. The 500 million gallons of biodiesel produced in the U.S. in 2007 displaced 20 million barrels of petroleum. Biodiesel is an extremely efficient fuel that creates 3.5 units of energy for every unit of fuel that is required to produce the fuel.
One of the prime plant species for biofuel production is native Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum. For more information about Switchgrass or biofuel production, give us a call at 800-462-8483 or contact us by e-mail.
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