[snarkpup]

The one use I see for biofuels in the near term would be cellulosic fermentation—i.e., technology (enzymes and yeasts) that could convert yard waste, wood waste, etc. into at least enough fuel to power the trucks that would go around and collect the raw materials. This is stuff that would otherwise require agricultural burning or dumping into land fills, and does not burn our food supply or require additional land, water or effort to grow it.

This would probably be of little significance as an energy source for the economy; but if it makes stuff like yard waste a valuable enough commodity that it is worth going around to collect it, it would be a boon for weed abatement.

[ChiefJayStrongbow]

The problem with this technology is that the bio-engineered ecoli bacteria that they use to fernent the 5 carbon sugars is not (or was not) as robust as the naturally occurring bacterias and was being killed off unless they first hydrolized the feed stock. They worked hard to make the ecoli more robust so vs. the naturally occurring bacteria. But if they ever get it so that it is so robust that it can compete and survive outside the four walls of the lab/pilot plant, it just might start in on eating the grass and trees and completely denude the planet.