Canada plus ahead in Biofuels
Although the Obama administration slowed U.S. efforts on biofuels in favor of electric vehicles, a new report card on the renewable fuels industry shows that ethanol and biodiesel are delivering tangible economic and environmental results — in Canada, at least. The Canadian report claims the country is “now leading the way in the development and commercialization of advanced biofuels.”
[ad]
Before you get too worked up, you should know that the report card was released by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, which obviously has a vested interest in the growth of the biofuels industry. The report shows that in the last five years, $2.3 billion has been invested in the construction of new biofuel production facilities across the country — representing almost 2 billion liters per year in domestic production capacity. The construction of biofuel facilities created approximately $3 billion in economic activity, and the biofuels sector expanded the tax base at the local, provincial and federal levels by $1.5 billion per year.
The Canadian industry is poised to commercialize four next-generation technologies in ethanol as well as several biodiesel advancements, the report said. Beyond that, a diversity of advanced biofuels is in conception. For example, Canada’s forestry sector is poised to become a world leader in diverting biomass from wood waste and by-products to create renewable fuels. Similarly, a variety of other technologies show promise in the production of biofuels derived from such diverse biomass feed-stocks as corn cobs, switchgrass, straw, algae and municipal waste.
So far, no commercially viable technologies have been found for creating fuel from earwax or belly-button lint, but if such technologies are developed, you can bet Canadians will be at the forefront.
Source and Thanks driving.myfoxwausau.com
