USDA supports big project aiming to develop biofuel production systems using grasses, crop residue, etc. Revolutionizing the process for making a "drop in" fuel is focus of the new grant.
Published: Oct 5, 2011
An Iowa State University-led group will get $25 million of $136 million in federal grants that will go to five universities to develop transportation and aviation biofuels made from tall grasses, crop residues and forest resources. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced on September 27 that an ISU-led group has been awarded the $25 million grant for a land use and biofuel production study.
Perhaps the three largest issues to face agriculture in this century are the food-versus-fuel debate in biofuel production, water and nutrient runoff, and soil erosion. Now, the Iowa State University-based study over the next five years will examine whether a single, coordinated production system can address all of these concerns while making profits for farmers.
A multi-state, interdisciplinary team led by Ken Moore, ISU professor of agronomy, recently won a $25 million USDA grant and will develop the blueprint for using marginal farmlands to grow perennial grasses that will, in turn, provide a biomass source for a drop-in biofuel.
Growing perennial grasses on marginal Midwest cropland has many environmental advantages, including reducing soil and nutrient runoff, slowing soil erosion and increasing carbon sequestration. Growing those grasses currently has few benefits for the farmers who own the land and make the production decisions, however. And convincing farmers to take land out of corn production when prices hover near $6 to $7 per bushel will require developing a market for the perennial grass that gives farmers a solid return.
This use of land takes "food-versus-fuel" argument out of the equation
"In general, the lands we are using in our research aren't really very good for producing food, so we are taking the food-versus-fuel argument out of the equation," says Moore. "By using perennial grasses on this land, we are reducing soil erosion, improving soil and water quality and even providing wildlife habitat."
These marginal lands are primarily riparian lands near waterways, says Moore. He points out that often these lands are planted in corn and can have their yields reduced or lost due to flooding.
The research will focus on harvesting the grasses (mostly native species such as bluestem and switchgrass) and using the biomass as a feedstock for a biofuel process known as pyrolysis.
The study will be conducted in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Vermont, Idaho and Nebraska by researchers at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.; University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; University of Vermont, Burlington; USDA Ag Research Service offices in Madison, Wis., Wyndmoor, Pa., and Lincoln, Neb.; U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls; and Iowa State University. Information about the grant and latest results can be found on the project website at http://cenusa.iastate.edu.
Examining the best way to grow, harvest, transport, refine and distribute
Midwestern states were the logical choice, according to Moore, as the land, the producers, the scientists and the know-how are already in place. Researchers will examine the best way to grow, harvest, transport, refine and distribute the biomass and biofuel, which is considered a drop-in fuel that can be added directly to other fuels without any special infrastructure.
The comprehensive study will also involve researchers from many disciplines in order to look at the big picture, says Moore. "One of the great aspects of this is that we have everyone from agronomists, to engineers, to geneticists, to economists, to ecologists, to modelers," he notes.
One of those experts is Robert C. Brown, the Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in Mechanical Engineering, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering and Iowa Farm Bureau director of Iowa State University's Bioeconomy Institute. Brown will lead the pyrolysis research.
Robert Brown will lead the pyrolysis research at Iowa State University
Pyrolysis is a process that uses thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen to produce an energy-rich liquid known as bio-oil. Additional refining turns the bio-oil into gasoline and petrochemicals, explains Brown.
The bio-oil differs from cellulosic ethanol in several ways. "In the case of bio-oil, we really don't care what the biomass is. It can be wood, straw, switchgrass, even paper waste -- anything that has cellulose in it, we can convert it into a uniform product called bio-oil using the pyrolysis process," he says.
"This is in contrast to biochemical approaches, which use enzymes and microorganisms to turn biomass into fuels. Specific enzymes are needed to break down different kinds of carbohydrates found in plants," he adds. "This makes it more difficult to process diverse kinds of biomass."
Looking at how to make ethanol from big bluestem, other perennial grass
While any cellulosic material can be converted to bio-oil, Brown says the amount of potassium in plants determines the efficiency of conversion to bio-oil. That is a perfect match for the perennial grasses that are the focus of the study. "Perennial grasses die back every year, returning nutrients to the roots where they are stored to support new growth in the spring," says Brown. "This allows us to harvest biomass without removing much of the deleterious potassium."
Part of the agronomic research of the study will be looking at ways to produce bluestem and switchgrass with the trait of having less potassium in the biomass at harvest time.
Interest in bio-oil has "exploded" because it is a drop-in fuel, easy to use
Brown says interest in bio-oil has "exploded" in the past three years partly because it is considered a drop-in fuel that can be added directly to the U.S. gasoline delivery system. "This process gives us the ability to produce, essentially, the same kind of fuel (gasoline) we are using today in automobiles, but we are producing it from renewable resources," he says.
A co-product of the pyrolysis process is a carbon- and nutrient-rich solid called biochar that can be used to as a soil amendment to increase the productivity of poor soils. Brown says preliminary research suggests that biochar can improve corn production in marginal soils. He has even run experiments in his own garden that have increased his harvest of tomatoes by 70%.
Biochar improves Iowa soils only slightly, but can double yield in poor soil
Biochar improves Iowa soils only slightly, while as much as doubling the productivity of poor soils, he says. "It could change the face of agriculture in Africa, potentially increasing corn yields to become comparable to U.S. agriculture," adds Brown.
In addition to pyrolysis research, Moore and his team will focus on how to develop flexible, efficient and sustainable logistics systems; identify sustainable bioenergy systems to achieve social, economic and environmental goals and understand socioeconomic and environmental consequences of perennial bioenergy systems; identify germplasm characteristics amenable to pyrolytic conversion and evaluate performance of pyrolytic biofuels; evaluate policy, market and contract mechanisms to facilitate broad adoption by farmers; develop procedures for managing risks and protecting health for each component of the biofuel productions chain; provide interdisciplinary education and engagement opportunities for undergrad and grad students; and develop outreach programs for all stakeholders of the bioenergy system.
A twitter account has been set up to follow the research at cenusabioenergy.
This project is supported by Ag and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2011-68005-30411 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Glad to see our Midwest universities getting significant research monies for these needed technologies development... Monte
Published: Oct 5, 2011
An Iowa State University-led group will get $25 million of $136 million in federal grants that will go to five universities to develop transportation and aviation biofuels made from tall grasses, crop residues and forest resources. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced on September 27 that an ISU-led group has been awarded the $25 million grant for a land use and biofuel production study.
Perhaps the three largest issues to face agriculture in this century are the food-versus-fuel debate in biofuel production, water and nutrient runoff, and soil erosion. Now, the Iowa State University-based study over the next five years will examine whether a single, coordinated production system can address all of these concerns while making profits for farmers.
A multi-state, interdisciplinary team led by Ken Moore, ISU professor of agronomy, recently won a $25 million USDA grant and will develop the blueprint for using marginal farmlands to grow perennial grasses that will, in turn, provide a biomass source for a drop-in biofuel.
Growing perennial grasses on marginal Midwest cropland has many environmental advantages, including reducing soil and nutrient runoff, slowing soil erosion and increasing carbon sequestration. Growing those grasses currently has few benefits for the farmers who own the land and make the production decisions, however. And convincing farmers to take land out of corn production when prices hover near $6 to $7 per bushel will require developing a market for the perennial grass that gives farmers a solid return.
This use of land takes "food-versus-fuel" argument out of the equation
"In general, the lands we are using in our research aren't really very good for producing food, so we are taking the food-versus-fuel argument out of the equation," says Moore. "By using perennial grasses on this land, we are reducing soil erosion, improving soil and water quality and even providing wildlife habitat."
These marginal lands are primarily riparian lands near waterways, says Moore. He points out that often these lands are planted in corn and can have their yields reduced or lost due to flooding.
The research will focus on harvesting the grasses (mostly native species such as bluestem and switchgrass) and using the biomass as a feedstock for a biofuel process known as pyrolysis.
The study will be conducted in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Vermont, Idaho and Nebraska by researchers at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.; University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; University of Vermont, Burlington; USDA Ag Research Service offices in Madison, Wis., Wyndmoor, Pa., and Lincoln, Neb.; U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls; and Iowa State University. Information about the grant and latest results can be found on the project website at http://cenusa.iastate.edu.
Examining the best way to grow, harvest, transport, refine and distribute
Midwestern states were the logical choice, according to Moore, as the land, the producers, the scientists and the know-how are already in place. Researchers will examine the best way to grow, harvest, transport, refine and distribute the biomass and biofuel, which is considered a drop-in fuel that can be added directly to other fuels without any special infrastructure.
The comprehensive study will also involve researchers from many disciplines in order to look at the big picture, says Moore. "One of the great aspects of this is that we have everyone from agronomists, to engineers, to geneticists, to economists, to ecologists, to modelers," he notes.
One of those experts is Robert C. Brown, the Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in Mechanical Engineering, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering and Iowa Farm Bureau director of Iowa State University's Bioeconomy Institute. Brown will lead the pyrolysis research.
Robert Brown will lead the pyrolysis research at Iowa State University
Pyrolysis is a process that uses thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen to produce an energy-rich liquid known as bio-oil. Additional refining turns the bio-oil into gasoline and petrochemicals, explains Brown.
The bio-oil differs from cellulosic ethanol in several ways. "In the case of bio-oil, we really don't care what the biomass is. It can be wood, straw, switchgrass, even paper waste -- anything that has cellulose in it, we can convert it into a uniform product called bio-oil using the pyrolysis process," he says.
"This is in contrast to biochemical approaches, which use enzymes and microorganisms to turn biomass into fuels. Specific enzymes are needed to break down different kinds of carbohydrates found in plants," he adds. "This makes it more difficult to process diverse kinds of biomass."
Looking at how to make ethanol from big bluestem, other perennial grass
While any cellulosic material can be converted to bio-oil, Brown says the amount of potassium in plants determines the efficiency of conversion to bio-oil. That is a perfect match for the perennial grasses that are the focus of the study. "Perennial grasses die back every year, returning nutrients to the roots where they are stored to support new growth in the spring," says Brown. "This allows us to harvest biomass without removing much of the deleterious potassium."
Part of the agronomic research of the study will be looking at ways to produce bluestem and switchgrass with the trait of having less potassium in the biomass at harvest time.
Interest in bio-oil has "exploded" because it is a drop-in fuel, easy to use
Brown says interest in bio-oil has "exploded" in the past three years partly because it is considered a drop-in fuel that can be added directly to the U.S. gasoline delivery system. "This process gives us the ability to produce, essentially, the same kind of fuel (gasoline) we are using today in automobiles, but we are producing it from renewable resources," he says.
A co-product of the pyrolysis process is a carbon- and nutrient-rich solid called biochar that can be used to as a soil amendment to increase the productivity of poor soils. Brown says preliminary research suggests that biochar can improve corn production in marginal soils. He has even run experiments in his own garden that have increased his harvest of tomatoes by 70%.
Biochar improves Iowa soils only slightly, but can double yield in poor soil
Biochar improves Iowa soils only slightly, while as much as doubling the productivity of poor soils, he says. "It could change the face of agriculture in Africa, potentially increasing corn yields to become comparable to U.S. agriculture," adds Brown.
In addition to pyrolysis research, Moore and his team will focus on how to develop flexible, efficient and sustainable logistics systems; identify sustainable bioenergy systems to achieve social, economic and environmental goals and understand socioeconomic and environmental consequences of perennial bioenergy systems; identify germplasm characteristics amenable to pyrolytic conversion and evaluate performance of pyrolytic biofuels; evaluate policy, market and contract mechanisms to facilitate broad adoption by farmers; develop procedures for managing risks and protecting health for each component of the biofuel productions chain; provide interdisciplinary education and engagement opportunities for undergrad and grad students; and develop outreach programs for all stakeholders of the bioenergy system.
A twitter account has been set up to follow the research at cenusabioenergy.
This project is supported by Ag and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2011-68005-30411 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Glad to see our Midwest universities getting significant research monies for these needed technologies development... Monte
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