portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/06/18/da -
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Published on: 6/20/2007
Last Visited: 6/21/2007
Bio-Economy and Sustainable Technologies Research Center, Oregon Economic and Community Development, Oregon Innovation Council, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Oregon, Kenneth Williamson,
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"We knew there was a lot of interest in this area and opportunities for growth, but it was very surprising to see how much is already going on," said Kenneth Williamson, head of chemical engineering at Oregon State University, who coordinated the production of this report.
"It appears the most activity so far has been focused in corn-based ethanol and waste-oil biodiesel production, but we expect the field to broaden beyond that," Williamson said."Because electricity from hydroelectric production is so inexpensive in the Pacific Northwest, the production of liquid fuels may continue to be the most promising area, especially in areas like cellulosic ethanol where we have some advantages."
Another major advance, Williamson said, would be legislative approval and funding for the new BEST, or Bio-Economy and Sustainable Technologies Research Center, that has been proposed by the Oregon Innovation Council as another of the state's signature research centers.