A new Biofuels Research Laboratory, has been officially opened at Cornell University, which is set up to be an educational and economic development facility rolled into one. The facility is an important addition to the campus, providing educational opportunities to students, valuable research and potential for economic development in the state, explained Cornell President David Skorton. The university hopes that the new facility will catapult it to the forefront of biofuels research.

Professor of biological and environmental engineering Larry Walker, who was instrumental in making the lab a reality, said that while researchers now are capable of deriving fuel from non-food plant material, the process has not yet been developed that would make widespread sale and use of biofuels a feasible option.

"I can look you in the eye today and say we can make biofuel," Walker said. "But, can we do it economically? No. Can we do it sustainably? Maybe."

Though he doesn't expect biofuels to completely replace petroleum, Walker said he is confident they are an important part of the future of energy production.