Skip to main content Skip to footer unit links
← Back to all capstone projects
2010 Autumn | Business & Sustainability, Climate Change, Policy & Regulation

The Future of Biofuels – Getting from Here to There

Student(s):

Ryan Ostrom

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Ashley Zanolli

Partner(s):

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10

Faculty advisor(s):

Rick Gustafson, Forest Resources, University of Washington

This project involved researching how technology could be used to increase efficiency and overcome multiple barriers to production throughout the biofuel supply chain. I used a biofuel mapping tool called Biofuels Atlas to calculate the biofuel production potential of various feedstocks within user set boundaries. The Integrated Biomass Supply and Logistics Model was used to determine costs and greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire biofuel life cycle. These tools were then used to demonstrate how modeling and mapping could decrease biorefinery operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions. I concluded that advanced technology will be necessary to achieve national renewable fuel standards.