The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday released a report outlining both the current state of renewable transportation fuels efforts in America and a plan to develop regional strategies to increase the production, marketing and distribution of biofuels.
The report provides information on current production and consumption capacities as well as projections to meet the Renwewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) mandate to use 36 billion gallons of biofuel per year in America’s fuel supply by 2022.
In 2009, the United States produced 10.75 billion gallons (bg) of ethanol, primarily as corn-starch ethanol. The expectation for 2010 is for the U.S. to produce approximately 12.0 bg of ethanol and the U.S. will soon have the installed capacity to produce up to the 15.0 bg of corn-starch ethanol.
EPA expects the following feedstocks and the associated number of gallons by 2022:
Switchgrass (perennial grass): 7.9 bg
Soy biodiesel and corn oil: 1.34 bg
Crop residues (corn stover, includes bagasse): 5.5 bg
Woody biomass (forestry residue): 0.1 bg (data does not include short-term woody crops)
Corn ethanol: 15.0 bg
Other (municipal solid waste (MSW)): 2.6 bg
Animal fats and yellow grease: 0.38 bg
Algae: 0.1 bg
Imports: 2.2 bg
Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said he is confident that the U.S. can meet the 36 bg goal by 2022.
The report also provides data on the impact the ethanol industry is expected to have on green jobs creation. It is estimated that as many as 40 direct jobs and additional indirect jobs are created with each 100-million-gallon ethanol facility built.
USDA plans to adopt regional strategies that allow the placement of biorefineries in areas of economic distress through the leveraging of regional resources for transportation, labor and feedstocks.
The report "A USDA Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022" is available at the link below.
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