Sustainability of energy, food and water theme of ACS nation...( to speed the commercialization of alte...),Health

USDA study confirms sustainability of switchgrass for future U.S. energy needs Most biofuels currently produced in the United States are derived from corn grain, but the capacity of corn to meet both food and fuel demands is limited, experts say. Switchgrass, a perennial tall grass native to North America, is being hailed as a promising and abundant alternative bioenergy source. The USDA recently completed a five-year field trial, conducted among 10 farms in the Northern Great Plains, to evaluate the energy balance for switchgrass grown for cellulosic ethanol. The study confirmed that switchgrass can be grown in a sustainable manner for biofuel production to meet future U.S. energy demands, according to Marty Schmer of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Lincoln, Neb. (AGRO 131, Tuesday, March 27, 4:15 p.m., McCormick Place South, Room S103D, Level 1)

Researchers develop device that converts food leftovers into biofuel Food wastes, which account for 16 percent of the materials going to landfill, could become the fuel of the future. Ruihong Zhang and associates at the University of California-Davis have developed a new experimental device, called an anaerobic digestion system, that is capable of efficiently converting a high volume of food and other organic wastes into hydrogen and methane gas. If converted to electricity, the biogas produced from one ton of food waste is enough to power 10 homes in the United States per day, the researchers say. (SUST 067, Tuesday, March 27, 4:20 p.m., McCor
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25-Mar-2007