Advanced Biofuels: Fuel for the Future?

When
September 18, 2020 12:00 pm — 1:30 pm
Where
Webinar Only

An ELI Member Webinar

Biofuel, a renewable energy source produced from organic waste and materials, is a widely used and increasingly controversial energy source in transportation. While once heralded by environmentalists as an innovative carbon neutral energy source, biofuels have since come under scrutiny in the past decade. Concerns stemming from food security, deforestation and land use, the carbon footprint over the life cycle, vehicle modification, and more rendered this once-prized fuel as less desirable in the eyes of some environmentalists.

Yet ongoing research initiatives are attempting to change these perceptions. Some companies are working to bring cellulosic bio-ethanol, an advanced biofuel, to commercial scale. Published findings note that when compared with fossil fuels, corn ethanol may reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 13%, yet cellulosic bio-ethanol could reduce GHGs by nearly 90%. Moreover, these advanced biofuels are manufactured from non-food biomass that may be grown on land unsuitable for food production.

What are the practical and policy challenges and opportunities facing advanced biofuels? How has the coronavirus pandemic affected biofuel production and research? What are the lessons learned from traditional biofuels that are being applied to advanced biofuels?

Panelists:
Lauren Helen Leyden
, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Moderator
Thomas Brugato, Special Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP
Shailesh Sahay, Senior Regulatory Counsel, POET, Inc.
Stephanie Wettstein, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Montana State University

Materials:
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