Record oil prices and the threat of global warming have stirred efforts across the nation to develop practical, renewable energy sources. At NC State, researchers survey the state's 18 million acres of forest and nine million acres of farmland and see a wealth of biomass - the organic material from plants and animals that can be converted into energy.
Researchers have patented a remarkable process that turns animal fat into fuel, and teams are working in laboratories across campus to unlock chemical processes that could generate up to 16 billion kilowatt hours of electricity from common agricultural resources, such as sweet potatoes, switchgrass, woodchips and cotton stalks.
We're also working to build better biofuels. This year, NC State launched a pilot facility to coax ethanol out of cellulose, the primary structural component of green plants.
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