A $10 million, five-year research program launched this week will investigate if beetle-killed trees can be turned into biofuel for cars and trucks practically, cheaply, and efficiently, according to NBC News.
"A crucial thing with biofuels is that we understand just how much greenhouse gases do we really offset. Because obviously if we use lots of fossil fuels or we cause lots of emissions in producing the biofuels, then we are really not gaining as much as we might hope to," Keith Paustain, a soil ecologist who is leading the project at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., told NBC News.
While using the dead trees has advantages-they're already ready to harvest, they're a domestic resource and using them would reduce wildfire risk and help stop the infestation-using them may be impractical. Many of the trees are located in remote areas on difficult-to-reach terrain. Researchers propose using modular mini-refineries that can be tailored to the amount of feedstock available and be set up temporarily near the beetle-kill trees. Their research will determine if this is cost-effective and if the process is carbon-neutral.
