In light of recent legislation regarding the use of alternative energy sources, local researchers said biofuels are a viable option for the state’s energy needs.
Bruce Dale, an MSU chemical engineering professor, has been researching ethanol for 32 years and said an increased use of biofuels would provide benefits to national security, the environment and rural economies.
“The U.S. is currently spending $1 billion a day to import oil,” Dale said. “If we could use half of it to spend at home on biofuels, imagine the economic effect.”
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Feb. 27 to cut tax incentives from gasoline producers and relocate more than $17 billion to the production of energy from wind, solar and other renewable sources.
Dale said the issue of soil management poses a slight concern but easily can be avoided as long as agriculturists follow guidelines.
“We only have to be a little bit smart,” Dale said. “Right now the biggest challenge is producing ethanol cheaply enough.”
Although biofuels offer potential benefits, opponents of their use, such as University of Michigan-Flint economics and finance professor Mark Perry, said several problematic areas need to be considered before the government hands out large subsidies.
“Some of the criteria is that they’re not energy efficient, they cause gas mileage in cars to go down and they’re not effectively transportable,” Perry said.
Overuse of land and gas emissions make biofuels a questionable energy alternative, said Alex Sagady, an East Lansing-based environmental consultant.
“There’s the land-use problem where we’re essentially converting forest lands into agricultural fields,” Sagady said.
A survey released in February by U-M’s Center for Local, State and Urban Policy found 85 percent of Michigan voters support a renewable energy standard.
A relatively new wave of biofuels comes in the form of cellulosic ethanol, which can be processed from trees, plants and switchgrasses and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, said Kurt Thelen, an MSU associate professor of crop and soil sciences.
“It’s taking all the benefits of biofuels and even retooling them a bit,” Thelen said.
Steve Pueppke, director of the MSU Office of Biobased Technologies, said the state could benefit from the production of cellulosic ethanol.
“The real potential is that we could create a new 21st century economy in Michigan,” Pueppke said. “If we’re producing biofuels here, then the money can be recycled in the state.”
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
