State Rep. Cretul: UF biofuels part of Florida's cutting edge

There will probably not be a single silver-bullet solution for meeting the United States’ energy needs. As Florida State Rep. Larry Cretul puts it, “In fact, we’re probably going to need a revolver—or maybe even a Gatling gun.”

However, during Cretul’s Jan. 28 tour of biofuels laboratories at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, it remained clear that cellulosic ethanol is likely to be included in the arsenal.

Cretul, a member of the Florida House of Representatives Committee on Energy, visited the UF campus to learn more about Prof. Lonnie Ingram’s method of turning biomass, such as yard waste and crop residues, into cellulosic ethanol.

The clean-burning fuel could someday replace one-third of the United States’ imported oil and be a lucrative export for the Sunshine State, Ingram said.

As part of the tour, Cretul and congressional aides visited Ingram’s lab as well as the new biofuels pilot plant currently under construction on the UF campus.

The small-scale, experimental plant will allow Ingram to further refine his process, which is already being implemented in larger-scale research/demonstration plants in Louisiana and Japan. Another facility will soon begin construction in southern Florida under a $20-million state grant to UF.

“I’m very excited about what the University of Florida, and especially IFAS, can do to keep this state on the leading edge of this most important technology,” Cretul said.

You can see all the images from the tour here

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