The Great Lakes region is deeply involved in research aimed at clearing technology bottlenecks associated with biofuels, partly because of the interest from agribusinesses and automakers. In 2007, the University of Wisconsin-Madison received a $125 million grant to establish the U.S. Department of Energy’s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center in Madison.
A handful of companies are using different approaches to designing synthetic versions of gasoline and other fuels. The work at Virent includes creating a system that converts plant sugars into hydrogen fuel.
“There won’t be one solution. Instead, there will be a suite of technologies customized for different needs, from heating a home to fueling a vehicle,” said Margaret Broeren, a spokeswoman for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.