Challenges and opportunities for the production of ethanol from MPB killed biomass in Interior BC

The short-term over supply of biomass feedstock in the Interior of British Columbia resulting from the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) infestation has created a mix of challenges and opportunities for the development of a biofuel industry. Several challenges include: the current economic downturn, difficulty in obtaining financing, insufficient government support, lack of security of long term biomass supply, and technological limitations. There are also several opportunities, which need to be maximized in order for this biofuel industry to succeed. They include: the growing market demand for biofuel, new approaches to biomass utitlization, high value co-products, inter-industry synergies and utilizing short-term availability of beetle killed wood, which offers cost and time savings as well as higher yield capacity.