A bioenergy summit was organized by Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest (AHB) to\ndebate the barriers to the commercialization of a hybrid poplar biofuels industry for the alternative\njet fuels market from the perspective of five years of AHB research and development and two recent\nsurveys of the North American cellulosic biofuels industry. The summit showed that: (1) Growing\nand converting poplar feedstock to aviation fuels is technically sound, (2) an adequate land base\nencompassing 6.03 and 12.86 million respective hectares of croplands and rangelands is potentially\navailable for poplar feedstock production, (3) biofuel production is accompanied by a global warming\npotential that meets the threshold 60% reduction mandated for advanced renewable fuels but (4) the\nmain obstruction to achieving a workable poplar aviation fuels market is making the price competitive\nwith conventional jet fuels. Returns on investment into biomass farms and biorefineries are therefore\ninsufficient to attract private-sector capital the fact notwithstanding that the demand for a reliable and\nsustainable supply of environmentally well-graded biofuels for civilian and military aviation is clear.\nEleven key findings and recommendations are presented as a guide to a strategic plan for a renewed\npathway to poplar alternative jet fuels production based upon co-products, refinery co-location with\nexisting industries, monetization of ecosystem services, public-private financing, and researching\nmore efficient and lower-costs conversion methods such as consolidated bioprocessing.
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