While second generation biofuels are produced from non-edible feedstocks like wood chips or methane gas emitted from landfills, currently available biofuels are generated almost exclusively from corn.

FORBES

He admits that it is not simple to pull the sugars out of non-food material like pulp or wood waste, but says that even factoring in the extraction process, the final cost should be lower than using corn starch or sugar cane, both of which are much higher-priced commodities.

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But the long-term prospects for biomass are best with non-food based feedstocks such as switchgrass, wood chips and forest residues.

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It created a race to build the technology for making fuel from non-food sources, whether it was ethanol from wood chips and jet fuel from algae.

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Many of the learning resources, such as toys, booklets, games and drawings, were produced by the teachers themselves (sometimes with the help of students and parents) who used local fabrics and other non-expensive components, such as paper, leaves, wood, and clay.

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Anne Wood, director of Mercy Corps, one of the few non-governmental agencies still operating in Kandahar, said her agency was still trying to carry out field work as discreetly as possible.

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