Fast-growing switchgrass makes for a super-duper biofuel, says new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The five-year study of 10 Midwest farms concluded that switchgrass-derived biofuel can produce more than five times the energy consumed in manufacturing it, and emits 94 percent less greenhouse-gas emissions than gasoline. “This clearly demonstrates that switchgrass is not only energy efficient, but can be used in a renewable biofuel economy to reduce reliance of fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, and enhance rural economies,” says lead researcher Ken Vogel. Well, great! Now we just have to wait for cellulosic ethanol to become commercially viable and cost-competitive, which should happen any minute hour day week year decade now.
