Fast-Growing Poplars Could Be Ethanol Source

Purdue University researchers are using genetic tools to design trees that can readily and inexpensively yield the substances needed to produce ethanol. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research is funding the $1.4 million, three-year study.



Approximately 10 tons of poplar could be grown per acre annually, representing 700 gallons of ethanol. Changing the lignin composition could increase the annual yield to 1,000 gallons of ethanol per acre, according to experts. Planted on 110 million acres of unused farmland, this could replace 80 percent of the transportation fossil fuel consumed in the United States each year.

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