This report was the second volume of a technical and economic assessment of the manufacture of ethanol from biomass for use as a road transport fuel. The first volume looked at established raw materials (wheat, sugar beet) and technology. It concluded that feedstock costs are the dominant factor in overall production costs, and that this was the area where R&D aimed at reducing production costs could best be targeted.

This volume looked at future prospects, technologies and developments, with an emphasis on the technical feasibility and likely costs of using lignocellulosic feedstocks, such as wood and straw. It also considered possible changes in yields and price of wheat as well as the use of alternative sources of sugars (novel crops such as artichoke, chicory or sorghum) and the potential impact of novel biotechnologies and genetic manipulation. Sources of lignocellulose considered included both purpose grown energy crops (coppice), lignocellulose residues, waste paper and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. The contents of the study included:

Biomass for ethanol production

Costs
Productivity
Energy forests
Impact of biotechnology

Lignocellulosic materials as feedstock

Straw
Forest waste
Wood industry wastes
Waste paper
Refuse

Conversion technology for lignocellulosic materials

Pre-treatment
Acid hydrolysis
Enzymatic hydrolysis
By products

Costs