Biofuels

Biofuels produced from renewable resources is an important way of enhancing rural economies, providing increased energy security by replacing foreign sources of oil, and reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, which has been linked to global warming.

Biofuels research at the Industrial Agricultural Products Center focuses on production of alcohol fuels and hydrogen from lignocellulosic biomass. Current projects include: creating models and control algorithms for fermentations and enzymatic hydrolyses, designing lignocellulosic biomass pretreatments, developing catalysts for hydrogen production from sugars, and constructing novel bioreactors for enzyme production. The Center, in conjunction with the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory, also has interest in research on biofuel implementation into the transportation fuel system and evaluation of their effectiveness for end users

The Center's biofuels research program has worked extensively with the biofuel industries commercial processors, trade associations, and government regulators to provide technical analysis and unbiased evaluations.