154— Alfalfa hay as non-human feedstock for second generation biofuels: Hope or hoax? Part II

The excessive use of fossil fuels has negatively impacted the environment because of greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers are now searching for ways to counterbalance the damage which has been done to the Earth after centuries of greenhouse gas emissions. Potential alternatives to fossil fuels include biofuels, an overlooked and cost-effective source of energy. Many efforts have been focused on the production of first-generation biofuels, fuels attained from human food sources, such as corn. First-generation biofuels have been linked to the increase in food prices, which is a problem because it negatively impacts many developing countries. Our research is geared towards the production of second generation biofuels, which rely on non-human food sources, specifically alfalfa hay. Second generation biomasses, such as alfalfa hay, are ideal as biofuel feedstock, because they are cheap, and have the power to constrain greenhouse gas emissions, while not taking away major human food sources or causing competition for new land. For this research project, the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride was used in the pretreatment of the alfalfa hay, in order to produce glucose. Glucose quantification methods applied include UV spectroscopy and DNS analyses. The results are presented and discussed within.