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Bioenergy

Canola field. Linker Farms, Judith Basin County, Montana. June 2020.Bioenergy is renewable energy derived from biological sources, to be used for heat, electricity, or vehicle fuel. Biofuel derived from plant materials is among the most rapidly growing renewable energy technologies. Conversion of biomass to liquid fuel is a method utilizing plant products from a variety of sources to create additional sources for energy from domestic sources. 

USDA supports bioenergy research to help support the United State energy independence for developing liquid fuels from various plant materials. These materials can be more sustainable because they are developed from renewable sources: ethanol from wheat, sugar cane, molasses and corn, biodiesel from oilseeds and methane from manure; Woody materials from forests; and Grasses which can be co-fired with coal.

Continue to the full text Bioenergy in a Changing Climate or browse related content:

  • Biofuel Production

    An anaerobic digester on a farm in Oregon.

    A description of the various processes to make biofuel and the type of fuel each process makes.

  • Biochar

    A hand holding biochar from a tree

    Biochar is a stable solid, rich in carbon that is made when organic waste material or biomass is partially combusted in…

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