Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 14868 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2016 THE RENEWABLE FUEL Standard (RFS) has provided more than a pathway to reduce petroleum use in the United States. The energy policy program, which was originally author- ized by Congress in 2005, has stimulated research interest in creating a variety of other potential biofuels. “The RFS is exactly what it was meant to be — a forward- thinking policy designed to push our nation’s development and use of next-generation biofuels,” says Rachel Gantz, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) spokeswoman.  Congress originally created the RFS to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand the nation’s renewable fuels sector while reducing reliance on imported oil. It was part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. It was then expanded under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 with goals of combating climate change and stimulating the farm economy. While a variety of renewable fuels are produced and used today, government statistics show corn ethanol has been the high- est volume and lowest cost fuel available to meet RFS obligations. “Under the RFS, while there is a cap on conventional biofuels, which includes corn-based ethanol at 15 billion gallons, the industry can and will produce above that amount. It just won’t meet the RFS obligation,” says Gantz. “The RFS was never just about ethanol.” In fact, the second generation of ethanol plants currently coming online is creating ethanol out of paper waste, forestry resi- due, wheat straw and corn stalks. The RFS also requires refiners to use biodiesel (made primarily from soybeans), cellulosic biofuel (made from crop residue, grasses, wood waste and a host of other feedstocks) and advanced biofuel (made from renewable biomass and other feedstocks) to meet their obligations. “You are seeing all of these different types of biofuels being used to satisfy RFS requirements, and we look forward to contin- ued growth,” says Gantz. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which implements the RFS, periodically proposes to add new and emerging biofuel feedstocks to help satisfy the blending requirements, which helps keep pace with technology growth. Renewable fuels industry officials believe research has, and will continue to be conducted, by both private and government entities, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “Traditional ethanol producers have long suggested the next generation of biofuels and bioproducts would not be produced exclusively by new, stand-alone facilities, but rather through the adoption of synergistic bolt on technologies,” says Gantz. “That became a reality in 2015, as corn-based ethanol plants worked to install or start new processes, allowing onsite production of every- thing from cellulosic ethanol to zein protein to renewable diesel.”  Other feedstocks, including corn oil, are increasingly being used in biodiesel production. NCGA President Wesley Spurlock from Stratford, Texas, stresses while corn will continue to serve as the primary feedstock in conventional ethanol, corn stover, other crop and wood residues, rice straw, wheat, milo, sugarcane and industrial wastes also will be more and more part of the mix. “The intent of the RFS was to help stimulate growth in the biofuels industry overall. New technologies were always on the horizon and are something the industry has always supported,” says Spurlock. “The development and use of new technologies benefit the industry as a whole. It is for that reason the RFS requires the use of cellulosic and advanced biofuels.” Designed to help combat climate change and stimulate the farm economy, the Renewable Fuel Standard keeps the research community busy looking into new plant-based sources of energy. Barb Anderson RFS Feeds Research Interests