University of Florida researchers looking at eucalyptus for biofuel

In Florida, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers working to produce ethanol from plant material are taking a hard look at eucalyptus as a possible source for the clean fuel. In their study, published online by the journal Applied Energy in April, they found that some eucalyptus had an increased sugar content, making it viable as a sustainable feedstock for biofuel production.

In addition, during pretreatment, they switched from the more corrosive sulfuric acid to phosphoric acid to increase sugar yields.  Sulfuric acid requires special metal alloy containers, while phosphoric acid can be housed in commercial steel, which cuts down on initial capital costs in building a biofuel plant. The phosphoric acid also doesn’t break down the released sugars as much, which increases overall yield.