Applying 21st century tools and technologies to manage land use, maximize biomass production, and increase the efficiency of processes for extracting energy from renewable resources will enable the biofuels industry to overcome current challenges in bioenergy production, according to a comprehensive review article published in Industrial Biotechnology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert.

Robert Diltz, Heather Luckarift, and Glenn Johnson, Air Force Research Laboratory, Tyndall Air Force Base, FL, and Universal Technology Corporation, Dayton, OH, provide a detailed review of the current methods in use for producing bioenergy and the key hurdles yet to overcome.

The article, "Sustainable Land Use for Bioenergy in the 21st Century," focuses on three main areas: enhancing the growth of biomass from a variety of resources; optimizing the thermo-chemical conversion of biomass to energy; and implementing land management strategies to create a sustainable biomass-to-energy industry that does not have an undesirable impact on the environment.

The authors emphasize the need for innovative methods to increase the energy density of biomass, enhance growth strategies, improve energy yield, and maximize the use of waste generated as a result of biomass processing.

"It is so important that we begin to envision bioenergy development from a broader systems perspective with an eye on sustainability. This review explicitly captures this need." says Larry Walker, PhD, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.