Ethanol Secrets of the Bovine

This one is common sense. Cattle have been utilizing roughage since they were created.

Secret for efficient ethanol in cows' stomachs?
Professor: Enzyme that helps digestion could be the key
(complete article here)

RFS Standards Review

RFS is under pressure due to the unintended consequences of corn-based ethanol production. Let's hope the House subcommittee does something about it.


Subcommittee Reviews Renewable Fuel Standard Implementation

WASHINGTON - Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research held a hearing to review the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) implementation and agriculture producer eligibility. Congressman Tim Holden of Pennsylvania is Chairman of the Subcommittee.

"As our economy diversifies its energy supply, it is critical we take advantage of all potential sources of renewable biomass," Holden said. "Unfortunately, the...(complete news release here).

Another Advantage of Switchgrass

I find it interesting that researchers find that native plants play key roles in ecosystems. Somehow, to me that just seems to be common sense. The complex interactions of plants and animals that we call ecosystems evolved to their peak state for a reason -- everything fit together. Each species has/had its proper role or niche in the environment. Together they all work in the particular environment to which they evolved.

Human or other invasive activity typically disrupts that "fit" at some point or another. It would be great if we could learn enough about such complex systems that we could utilize those interactions to our benefit rather than disrupt them to the point that problems occur. I am by no means a preservationist. I am not one who says that nature would be better off without humans. I am saying that I believe that we could learn a lot from natural systems if we could unlock the various interactions that occur. Maybe the best term is to "integrate" into the system rather than to disrupt it with our activity. That will require radically new thinking in the way that we do things.

Switchgrass May Mean Better Soil

By Don Comis
July 17, 2008

Soils with native grasses such as switchgrass have higher levels of a key soil component called glomalin than soils planted to non-native grasses, according to a study by the Agricultural Research Service at two locations in Mandan, N.D.

Kristine Nichols, a microbiologist with the ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan, conducted the study. Glomalin is a...(complete article here).

Maybe Switchgrass for cellulosic ethanol production would be a good rotation crop on stressed lands. Perhaps we could reclaim some marginal lands through its use.

Switchgrass and Corn Stover for Cellulosic Ethanol

This article discusses some of the economic comparisons between corn stover and switchgrass for cellulosic ethanol production.

Economist: Take 'stalk' in corn stover as state's ethanol future

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Cellulosic ethanol made from corn stover and switchgrass could be the next big thing in liquefied energy. The biggest of the big - at least in Corn Belt states like Indiana - would likely be corn stover, a Purdue University study finds.

Corn stover is plentiful in Indiana because...(complete article here).

How to Break Link Between Food and Biofuels

Iowa State continues its leadership role in research related to food and biofuels.

Breaking the Link between Food and Biofuels

Bruce A. BabcockJuly 2008 [08-BP 53]

Production of biofuels from feedstocks that are diverted from food production or that are grown on land that could grow crops has two important drawbacks: higher food prices and decreased reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. If U.S. policy were to...(complete news release here).

Switchgrass Ethanol Project in Oklahoma

Growing crops for cellulosic ethanol doesn't address the issue of competing uses for land, however, it does move us closer to energy independence.

Farming for cellulosic ethanol gets started

Switchgrass planted, idea is to avoid fuel vs. food competition

GUYMON, Okla. (AP) - Work has started on the planting of a 1,000-acre switchgrass field in the Oklahoma Panhandle that researchers plan to use in the production of cellulosic ethanol.

The field is being touted as the world's largest for switchgrass, a drought-resistant perennial plant that grows even on marginal lands. Scientists at...(complete article here).

Demand Analysis of Beef Industry for Distiller's Grains

Follow the linked title below for an analysis of demand for corn-based distiller's grains by the beef industry. My personal view is that cellulosic ethanol production will be utlized to convert much of the distiller's grains to ethanol in the near future. The effect will be further pressure on cattle feeding costs.

Steady Supplies or Stockpiles? Demand for Corn-Based Distillers Grains by the U.S. Beef Industry

Roxanne Clemens, Bruce A. Babcock

Put the Bugs to Work!

More on developing a bio-fuel economy.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

Bacterium Gets Wheels Turning on Ethanol Fuel


By Susan Kinzie and David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, March 10, 2008; Page B04

A strain of bacteria accidentally found in the Chesapeake Bay more than 20 years ago -- a bug that decomposes everything from algae to newspapers to crab shells -- could help produce cheaper fuel, according to scientists at the University of Maryland.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) will tout the work of professors Steven Hutcheson and Ronald Weiner on campus today in announcing that...(complete article here).

Switchgrass Production Costs

With all of the interest in cellulosic ethanol, switchgrass production will be the focus of many who are looking to capture part of the opportunity.

Scientists Determine Farm Costs of Producing Switchgrass for Ethanol

By Jan Suszkiw
March 6, 2008

Following up on a net-energy study published in the January Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) scientists today reports the on-farm economic costs of producing switchgrass for cellulosic ethanol.

In their PNAS energy-analysis paper, the team...(complete article here).

DOE Investment In Renewable Fuels

The DOE will help boost the cellulosic industry with a little capital injection.

U.S. Department of Energy to Invest up to $33.8 Million to Further Development of Commercially Viable Renewable Fuels

ORLANDO, FL – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Andy Karsner today announced that DOE will invest up to $33.8, over four years, (Fiscal Years 2008-2011) for four projects that will focus on developing improved enzyme systems to...(complete article here).

Ethanol From Switchgrass

Ethanol: Depending upon where you fit in agriculture, ethanol is either a dirty word or the best thing that has come along in years. Livestock producers curse it because of its impact on their cost of feed, but farmers love the extra dollars that it has put into their pockets. Ideally, a way for both segments of agriculture to benefit from ethanol will be found. Perhaps the answer is Switchgrass.

Switchgrass is a perennial grass found in almost every state west of the Rocky Mountains. There are two major classifications of the grass: 1) upland varieties which favor drier, lighter soils and fare better in drier conditions and 2) lowland varieties which thrive in heavier soils and are tolerant of excess moisture such as from flooding.

Switchgrass has been neglected by researchers for many years but now, because of its promise as an energy fuel, they are scrambling all across the nation to collect samples of the various native species so that cultivars can be developed to breed for fuel production. Such efforts are occurring at experiment stations from Texas to the Dakotas and throughout the Midwestern and Southeastern U.S.

Producing ethanol from Switchgrass falls into the category of what is considered cellulosic ethanol. This category is still in the developmental stage but shows great promise of utilizing everything from waste paper pulp to wood chips and grasses. It is a more complex process than producing ethanol from corn, but shows great potential because it can utilize waste, or plant sources grown on marginal land rather than corn which requires premium land and an abundant supply of water as well as intensive use of chemical and fertilizer inputs.

Recent research indicates that corn-based ethanol produces approximately 125% more energy than is required to make it. The potential energy from Switchgrass has been estimated at 540% more than that required to produce it. In addition to the huge energy gain, the amount of inputs required to grow Switchgrass is relatively low and it is a perennial crop.

Switchgrass grows well in regions that receive between 15 and 30 inches of rainfall per year and thrives in a wide variety of soils ranging from fine to coarse in texture. Its roots produce rhizomes that spread beneath the soil surface and will cover approximately the same area below ground that the plant covers above ground. The plants can reach up to 10 feet in height if adequate moisture is available at the right time of year.

In order to produce maximum yields, Switchgrass may require some supplementation of nitrogen. It can be difficult to establish because of low germination rates due to a high percentage of dormancy, but once established, is a perennial producer. Depending on growing conditions, it may produce anywhere from one to three cuttings per year. If a single cutting per year is all that is harvested, the plant has the characteristic that most of the primary nutrients migrate back into the roots in late summer and early fall. If harvest is delayed until after frost, very little of the soil nutrients will be removed with the harvested crop.

As cellulosic ethanol technology develops, Switchgrass will become an important fuel source. Because of its low input requirements, it may hold promise as a significant cash crop for marginal land. The development of new varieties that accommodate the diverse growing conditions across the United States will create opportunities for farmers in many areas. It also appears to hold promise in some areas of the Texas Panhandle – particularly the eastern part of the area where rainfall is generally slightly higher.

Because it typically takes approximately 3 years to establish a harvestable stand of Switchgrass, the decision to produce the crop will require considerable planning. It obviously will not fit into a rotation plan but will fit best on dedicated acres. Over the coming years it is anticipated that some CRP acres may be converted to the crop. Ultimately, the price offered for baled Switchgrass will determine the planted acreage.

Cellulosic Ethanol Funding

I understand that new technology sometimes needs a boost to take off however, I have a hard time with the words "DOE funded."

November 6, 2007

Secretary Bodman Touts Importance of Cellulosic Ethanol at Georgia Biorefinery Groundbreaking

SOPERTON, GA - U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman today attended a groundbreaking ceremony for Range Fuels' biorefinery - one of the nation’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol biorefineries – and made the following statement.

“Together, the Department of Energy and private sector pioneers, such as Range Fuels, are blending science and technology to advance the President's goal of reducing our dependence on foreign oil,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said. “The production of cost-competitive cellulosic ethanol is a significant part of...(complete press release here).