The PureVision Technology
Biomass Feedstocks

The renewable resource base of the U.S. and the world is currently underutilized as biomass wastes from forest residues and food processing are often seen as a problem rather than an opportunity. Renewable resources generated by the domestic agricultural and forestry industries have the potential to meet many market demands that are currently being filled by imported oil.

Biomass, or plant matter, is made up of three major components: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Biomass feedstocks that can be utilized in the PureVision process include:

• Agricultural crop residues (wheat straw, corn stover and sugarcane bagasse),
• Small diameter trees and forest thinnings,
• Energy crops (switchgrass, hybrid poplar, willow, etc.) and
• Other wastes including organics and paper from municipal solid waste and paper mill and municipal sewage sledges.

Together, there are an estimated 500 million tons of these biomass materials available annually in the U.S. If all 500 million tons were converted to ethanol, approximately 33 billion gallons would be produced annually, equaling 30% of the total liquid fuel consumed by the U.S. transportation sector. In addition to reducing foreign oil imports by about one half, domestic and local economies would benefit with increased jobs from feedstock acquisition, construction, material processing and sale of bio-products.