By n e I l savag e

Neil Savage is a science writer based in 

Lowell, Massachusetts.

Pyrolysis: cooking wood chips (left) above 400 °C for a few 

seconds with a catalyst (middle) produces a ‘bio-oil’ (right).

“Electricity 

for the light 

vehicles, 

biomass for the 

heavies, and 

we’re energy 

independent in 

two decades.” 

DR. JOUNGMO CHO

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BIOFUELS

OUTLOOK

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Document Outline

• Fuel options: The ideal biofuel