BCRL in the News

Biofuels And Land Usage - A Debate
A debate between Dr. Dale and Dr. Searchinger during the 2010 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing on "Biofuels and Land Usage" read more...

Creating alternative energy solutions

Researchers at work on energy challenges
Cars and energy create challenges that MSU engineering researchers approach from multiple directions. “No single solution is going to be able to address the energy problem we’re confronting today,” says Satish Udpa, dean of the College of Engineering. read more...

MSU researches nonfood biofuel - Wednesday, February 03, 2010

The future of alternative fuels and economic freedom might be as simple as grass clippings and wood chips.

Biomass such as straw, switchgrass and wood chips can be used to produce cellulosic ethanol, a potential replacement to ethanol produced from corn, wheat and rice, said Bruce Dale, associate director of MSU’s Office of Biobased Technologies.

Biofuels as alternative energy promise to help environment, economy, prof's research shows

The field of biofuel research would have little in the tank without MSU professor Bruce Dale. The professor of chemical engineering and material science finished two studies last month that could foster positive attitudes about alternative fuels and decrease the cost of creating them. Dale’s first study presented evidence against the notion that benefits of biofuels are offset by the land required to produce the corn for ethanol and the gas emissions of the vehicles using the fuel.

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Fuel from fiber: Pretreatment can put corn stalks, trees in your car's tank - May 8, 2007
BOSTON — "Put a tree in your tank." Fuel companies aren't touting that slogan. At least not yet. But thanks to research done in part by Bruce Dale, Michigan State University professor of chemical engineering and materials science, making fuels from poplar trees and corn stalks is becoming more efficient and cost-effective. read more...

Earth Day - April 18, 2007
Professor Bruce Dale is not going to stand by and let the world use up its oil without some kind of backup plan. For a long time, any alternative to oil faced an uphill fight for economic survival. That was until recently, when people began... read more...

Senate Committee Considers Tax Incentives for Alternative Fuels - April 20, 2007
Should the federal government increase tax incentives for those who purchase or manufacture alternative fuel technology? Bruce Dale weighs in before a Senate panel read more...

Ethanol: Panacea or False Promise? - April 20, 2007
Now that experts know how to convert prairie grass and leftover lumber into ethanol, six biorefineries scheduled for completion within five years could help the United States produce 130 million additional gallons of the fuel per year... read more...

With cellulosic ethanol, there is no food vs. fuel debate - March 28, 2007
As more and more corn grain is diverted to make ethanol, there have been public concerns about food shortages. However, ethanol made from cellulosic materials instead of corn grain, renders the food vs. fuel debate moot, according to research by an MSU ethanol expert. read more...

MSU Professor Details Biofuel Benefits - Friday, March 09, 2007
Compared to gasoline, producing and using corn ethanol adds fewer greenhouse gases to the environment. But producing ethanol from corn grain requires careful management for the greatest environmental benefits. read more...

Michigan passed over for federal ethanol research funding - Friday, March 09, 2007
Michigan was not among the states slated to receive funding from the Department of Energy for research and development of ethanol fuels. However, hopes have not been dashed totally. Professor Bruce Dale of Michigan State University has been working on an alternative form of ethanol made from organic materials such as wood chips, rather than the more common corn derivative. read more...

Ethanol production requires careful management for environmental benefits - Friday, March 09, 2007
When it comes to ethanol, it’s not easy being greener. Compared to gasoline, producing and using corn ethanol adds fewer greenhouse gases to the environment. But producing ethanol from corn grain requires careful management for the greatest environmental benefits. read more...

Dale at White House -Friday, February 23, 2007
Bruce Dale was a special guest at the White House to discuss celluosic ethanol with the president read more...

It's not easy being green - Friday, February 16, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO — When it comes to ethanol, it's not easy being greener. Compared to gasoline, producing and using corn ethanol adds fewer greenhouse gases to the environment. But producing ethanol from corn grain requires careful management for the greatest environmental benefits. read more...

Ethanol not always as green as some believe - Friday, February 16, 2007
Ethanol is generally not as green as some people believe says to Bruce Dale, Michigan State University professor of chemical engineering and materials ... read more...

NCGA Says New Ethanol Paper Takes Another Look at Ethanol Energy Balance - Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Washington, DC -- Arguments over the net energy of ethanol versus other fuels miss the point, according to a new paper by Bruce E. Dale, professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University. read more...

Ethanol could save state's economy - Tuesday, February 13, 2007
America's gluttonous appetite for oil is not new. For the seventh time, President Bush mentioned the importance of energy independence in his State of the Union address last month. Bush also expressed the need for the United States to invest in the production of ethanol. Now, Michigan finds itself at an important crossroad. With a forlorn manufacturing-based economy, Michigan clearly needs to start restructuring its economy for the future. The question begs itself to be asked: Is this corn-based fuel the yellow brick road Michigan so desperately needs? read more...

MSU research: global scope, local impact - Tuesday, February 13, 2007
From the MSU Newsroom Special Reports read more...

Ethanol: One smart idea, professor says - Thursday, November 30, 2006
Bruce Dale believes ethanol is more fuel-efficient than one "dumb idea" issued about its practicality. A claim by a study last year that ethanol has a "negative net energy," with more used to make the fuel than to generate it, is a "myth," said Dale, a Michigan State University professor of chemical engineering and faculty adviser to MSU's Biomass Conversion Research Laboratory. read more...

Bruce Dale on Science and Society Podcast - July 20th 2006
Dr. Bruce Dale, Professor of Chemical Engineering and former Chairperson of the Department Of Chemical Engineering at Michigan State University

Biofuels lure U.S., but agreement on cost elusive - November 8, 2006
Politicians may be pushing ethanol as a magic bullet for the United States' foreign energy addiction, but even biofuels experts disagree about the cost, efficiency and viability of a ramped-up U.S. biofuels program. However, Dale and many others are confident that switching from gasoline to corn-based ethanol would reduce greenhouse gases. read more...

Recent Presentations and Conferences
The BCRL enjoyed great success at the 28th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals in Nashville during May! We presented six posters and gave two presentations, and all were well recieved. All of these posters and presentations can be found on our website, so feel free to look around and learn about our recent research. read more...

Upcoming Events
The BCRL presented papers at the AIChE Annual Meeting in San Fancisco, CA in November 2006. Look for our papers and presentations at this site.