The Louisiana State University AgCenter made a major commitment about five years ago to funnel resources into bioenergy research. As a result, the center will establish the Louisiana Institute for Biofuels and Bioprocessing. The school's regents have funded the project for just one year, during which the institute's leadership must form an advisory board and set up the structure for expansion of bioenergy research. John Russin, LSU AgCenter associate vice chancellor and institute director, says the institute puts a face on their biofuels research and will help them obtain grants.
So far, the AgCenter has developed three sugarcane varieties, known as "energy cane," which are higher in fiber than regular sugarcane and yet produce raw sugar. Another crop under investigation is sweet sorghum, a high-fiber plant that's a cousin of grain sorghum but looks more like sugarcane. Its advantage is it can grow on marginal soils and can be harvested with the same equipment as sugarcane.
A new area of research is finding ways to grow algae and extract biofuel ingredients. Other research projects include determining the biofuel potential from low-value trees, wood waste and the Chinese tallow tree.
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