The University of Florida (UF), Gainesville, was today awarded $5.4 million in grant funding from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy, for biomass research and development.
The purpose of the UF project is to improve the production and sustainability of sweet sorghum as an energy crop. The University will identify genetic traits in sorghum associated with drought tolerance through genetic mapping and will select strains that product high biomass yields and can be easily converted to fermentable sugars.
The award to UF is one of eight research and development projects nationally, that will support the production of biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products from a variety of biomass sources.
The research and development grants, which total $47 million nationwide, is part of the Obama Administration comprehensive plan to invest in clean, sustainable transportation fuels to help reduce U.S. oil imports, support economic development in rural America and create clean energy jobs for U.S. workers.
