Advanced biofuels show promise for replacing some fossil fuels
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Plant-based biofuels can play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and growing these crops in certain landscapes offers net climate benefits compared to other land use options, according to a team of international scientists.
“For the last decade, there have been a lot of questions about whether there’s an important role for bioenergy in a sustainable energy future,” said Tom Richard, professor of agricultural and biological engineering and director of the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment. “We’ve documented that if it’s done right, there is a clear role for bioenergy, and we’ve pointed toward the places and approaches necessary for those systems to have a positive benefit.”
