The Biofuels Center of North Carolina is a private, nonprofit corporate facility located on a

Biofuels Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration (E ...

Campus in

Oxford, North Carolina Oxford is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 8,628 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Granville County. History The town's history dates to 1761, when local legislator Samuel Benton built ...

. The Center is funded by the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

to implement ''North Carolina's Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership'' and to reduce the state's dependence on imported liquid fuel. The Center's mission is to develop a sustainable, statewide biofuels industry to reduce this dependence, create jobs and opportunities for

prosperity Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health. Competing notion ...

for North Carolinians. The strategic goal: by 2017, 10% of North Carolina's

liquid fuels Liquid fuels are combustible or energy-generating molecules that can be harnessed to create mechanical energy, usually producing kinetic energy; they also must take the shape of their container. It is the fumes of liquid fuels that are flammable ...

—or about a year—will be produced in-state from locally grown

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...

. The Biofuels Center of North Carolina was funded with a $5 million initial appropriation from the 2007 General Assembly. It receives continuing funding from the General Assembly to implement the Strategic Plan.

History

The Biofuels Center of North Carolina originated from

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

introduced by N.C. Representative Jim Crawford and N.C. Senator Charlie Albertson. The outcome of their legislative efforts was Senate Bill 2051, mandating the statewide biofuels Strategic Plan. The companion bill in the House was House Bill 1990. The resulting Strategic Plan was derived from input from more than 70 participants including leaders in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the Rural Development Center, and others. The plan and these bills were instrumental in the creation of the Biofuels Center to meet the mandate of the Strategic Plan.
The General Assembly demonstrated its continuing support for the mission of the Biofuels Center of North Carolina during the short session in 2008. N.C. Representatives James W. Crawford, Jr., and Edith D. Warren introduced House Bill 2109 and N.C. Senator

Doug Berger Douglas E. Berger is an American attorney, former prosecutor and politician who served as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's 7th Senate district for four terms, starting in 2005. A member of the Democratic P ...

introduced Senate Bill 1655 along with nine co-sponsors to provide continuing operational

funding Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm uses ...

for the Biofuels Center in the 2008/2009

fiscal year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

. The support from the N.C. House and Senate ensured that the Biofuels Center was able to continue building a new biofuels industry in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. In the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the Biofuels Center continued to receive funding from the General Assembly with a portion of its $5 million appropriation coming from U.S. Department of Energy stimulus funds. N.C. Representatives Crawford and

Ty Harrell Warren Tyrone "Ty" Harrell (born February 6, 1970, in Newark, New Jersey) is a former Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's 41st House district in western Wake County. He defeated Chris Mintz in the ...

introduced House Bill 400 and N.C. Senator Albertson introduced Senate Bill 841.

North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership

Almost of petroleum-based liquid fuels are consumed by North Carolinians every year. None is produced in North Carolina. The net effect is no

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...

for North Carolina and dependence on other states and countries for

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

.
Considering these concerns, 70 North Carolina leaders, including legislative, corporate, and academic heads, met to create a liquid biofuels industry. To achieve this aim, they devised North Carolina's Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership, which comprises nine strategies.
These strategies outline the means to develop a liquid biofuels industry in North Carolina that is substantial in output, agriculturally and economically important, sustainable, and significant. The plan combines bold vision with brevity. The 24-page document has nine realistic strategies for the Biofuels Center to implement. *Strategy 1 - Ten percent of fuels sold in NC will be locally grown and produced by 2017 *Strategy 2 - Provide

leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

in developing the biofuels sector *Strategy 3 - Maximize

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

and

rural development Rural development is the process of improving the quality life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Rural development has traditionally centered on the exploitation of l ...

through sustained policy *Strategy 4 - Create the biofuels sector in North Carolina and enable the state to take a leadership role for the state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern region *Strategy 5 - Create a plan to successfully connect

feedstock A raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials that are feedstock for future finished products. As feedst ...

growers with biofuels producers *Strategy 6 - Accelerate effective

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

, and development capabilities *Strategy 7 - Establish a nationally unique Advanced Biofuels Acceleration Facility *Strategy 8 - Develop a skilled workforce and advance public commitment to local biofuels *Strategy 9 - Identify and implement appropriate and targeted legislative

incentive In general, incentives are anything that persuade a person to alter their behaviour. It is emphasised that incentives matter by the basic law of economists and the laws of behaviour, which state that higher incentives amount to greater levels of ...

s along the biofuels

value chain A value chain is a progression of activities that a firm operating in a specific industry performs in order to deliver a valuable product (i.e., good and/or service) to the end customer. The concept comes through business management and was firs ...

Sustainability

The Biofuels Center is focused on long-term

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

. While economic sustainability is key,

environmental sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

is critical in developing a successful

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

. Biofuels hold significant promise in increased

energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven ...

, reduced

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...

, and local economic development. However, biofuels have also been criticized for their possible adverse impacts on the

natural environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all life, living and non-living things occurring nature, naturally, meaning in this case not Artificiality, artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. Th ...

food security Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...

and

land use Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use by humans has a long h ...

. The Center's focus is on assessing sustainable industry development opportunities and supporting the growth of environmentally sustainable industry. The challenge is to support biofuels development, including the development of new cellulosic technologies, with responsible policies and economic instruments to help ensure that biofuel

commercialization Commercialization or commercialisation is the process of introducing a new product or production method into commerce—making it available on the market. The term often connotes especially entry into the mass market (as opposed to entry into ear ...

is sustainable. Responsible commercialization of biofuels represents an opportunity to enhance sustainable economic prospects. The excess production and limited markets for the woody biomass resources in North Carolina provide an opportunity to develop a North Carolina biofuels industry based on woody biomass. Currently, of total of the woody biomass in North Carolina is privately owned. Improved

forest management Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, protection, and forest regulation. This includes management for ...

practices and purpose-grown trees provide options for enhanced

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

and environmental sustainability. While it is possible to grow a number of

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponic ...

s in North Carolina, including energy grasses such as

switchgrass ''Panicum virgatum'', commonly known as switchgrass, is a perennial warm season bunchgrass native to North America, where it occurs naturally from 55°N latitude in Canada southwards into the United States and Mexico. Switchgrass is one of the ...

and

miscanthus ''Miscanthus'', or silvergrass, is a genus of African, Eurasian, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family, Poaceae. ; Species * ''Miscanthus changii'' Y.N.Lee – Korea * ''Miscanthus depauperatus'' Merr. – the Philippines * ''Miscanthus ...

, the Biofuel Center's primary focus is on forest resources. Advanced biofuels from lignocellulosic feedstocks and

energy crop Energy crops are low-cost and low-maintenance crops grown solely for energy production by combustion (not for food). The crops are processed into solid, liquid or gaseous fuels, such as pellets, bioethanol or biogas. The fuels are burned to g ...

s offer an improved environmental and net

energy profile In theoretical chemistry, an energy profile is a theoretical representation of a chemical reaction or Chemical process, process as a single energetic pathway as the reactants are transformed into Product (chemistry), products. This pathway runs al ...

compared to first-generation biofuels. The Center is involved in a number of projects to determine the environmental impact of a number of technologies in biofuels production, which will help to guide and drive large scale biofuels developments in the state. The Center has also partnered with the

North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) is an agency of the government of North Carolina that focuses on the preservation and protection of natural resources and public health. The Department is headed by the Secretary of En ...

, which is helping to access the impact of biofuels technologies and their suitability for the long-term developments in North Carolina. In summary, biofuels help to reduce dependency on

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels m ...

s, reduce green house gas emissions, and boost local economic development. Renewable cleaner transportation fuels, combined with more efficient use of fuels, will help to develop a

sustainable transport Sustainable transport refers to ways of transportation that are sustainable in terms of their social and environmental impacts. Components for evaluating sustainability include the particular vehicles used for road, water or air transport; th ...

ation strategy. Carefully crafted biofuels industry strategies will help to develop a successful North Carolina biofuels industry sector while simultaneously helping to ensure sustainability of local environmental resources.

Education

For the biofuels sector to thrive,

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

will need to be a key part of the

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

created by North Carolina. The Biofuels Center intends on being a resource in biofuels education and training to help people wanting a career in the biofuels sector so they can easily find the education they need at schools, community colleges, and universities. The Biofuels Center will also assist in the development of targeted programs to assist technology acceleration so that this sector can stay at the cutting edge. The role education will play was recognized during the development of'' North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership'', and forms a central part of ''Strategy 8'': ''Advancing Public Commitment and Workforce Development'': To ensure that North Carolinians understand the personal and societal importance of biofuels produced within their State, a coordinated statewide public endeavor undertaken by varied parties must in the next five years work for and fund informed leadership, targeted education and workforce development, and

consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. T ...

awareness Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some inform ...

. Recognizing the many stakeholders impacted by ''Strategy 8'', the Biofuels Center held the first Strategic Convening on Biofuels Education on January 15, 2009. The Strategic Convening was attended by representatives from North Carolina

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

North Carolina Community College System The North Carolina Community College System (System Office) is a statewide network of 58 public community colleges. The system enrolls over 500,000 students annually. It also provides the North Carolina Learning Object Repository as a central loc ...

, University System, industry, nonprofits and others. The group discussed what needed to be done in the short- and medium-term and discussion fell into four main areas: * Analysis * Curriculum development * Activities * Educator outreach The Biofuels Center has also developed the first liquid transportation biofuels centered wiki.Biofuels Wiki
The Biofuels Wiki is a one-stop, collaborative, open-source, industry-led site where knowledge about liquid renewable biofuels can be found.

External links

The Biofuels Wiki

The Biofuels Center Facebook Page
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biofuels Center Of North Carolina Bioenergy organizations Biofuels