Without productive use of farmable acreage and forest, agriculture and food processing residues in the Appalachian corridor, the United States may not be able to find enough biomass to meet the 2022 goals of the Renewable Fuel Standard.  Without participation of piedmont and mountain areas, particularly those in the Eastern US, the US may be unable to significantly reduce petroleum imports. 

How can Advanced Biofuels USA help meet this challenge?    

The ultimate goal of this project is to develop information and innovative ideas that address the challenge of getting sufficient biomass (or intermediary energy crop product) to biorefineries so that growers and, forest and reclaimed mine land owners  in the mountain and piedmont areas can successfully participate in strengthening the biofuels value chain in their areas.  The eventual aim is to bring together representatives from the process “seed to wheel” in regional workshops so that realistic, workable strategies can be developed with the participation of experts from many different perspectives. 

In order to make informed decisions, farmers, growers and the general population in these areas need access to quality, comprehensive, understandable information about their options and the challenges inherent in various options.  To make decisions about what to grow, when, what return to expect for their investment, they require information about crops, markets and technologies from sowing to harvesting to transportation of raw materials and biorefining.  In addition, consideration of sustainability plays an important role in participating in the modern bioenergy economy; consideration of not only economic value, but also social and environmental concerns. 

Producing 21 billion gallons/year of biofuel (advanced biofuels, including cellulosic), even with optimistic estimates of getting 10 tons/acre of biomass with a total system conversion efficiency of 55%, requires 13.5 million acres of non-food crop land.  Initial work along the Appalachian corridor will result in developing more realistic information for determining just how much land could come from these areas, and similar areas in the US. 

Advanced Biofuels USA can use its resources to complement and promote existing activities in this area.  We have developed a strategic plan to guide us in this endeavor. 

Strategic Plan

Phase 1:  To achieve this goal Advanced Biofuels USA will first work to

• Expose more people to the idea of advanced biofuels,
• Correct misinformation about biofuels in general and
• Bring a realistic picture of the role of advanced biofuels in our energy future.

We intend to enhance the understanding of advanced biofuels by potential stakeholders in the advanced biofuels value chain from “seed to wheel,” by

• preparing and promoting a wide variety of educational and public relations materials, including articles for popular general circulation press as well as for agricultural, industry and academic publications;
• Preparing presentations for agriculture, civic and community groups; and
• Preparing materials for use in community college courses.
• We will conduct “train the trainer” sessions to encourage knowledgeable use of these materials.

Concerns to be addressed in these materials and discussions :

• Crop research,
• Appropriate land use,
• Sustainable agricultural and forestry practices,
• Realistic transportation models, 
• On-site intermediary conversion,
• Crop financing,
• Crop insurance, and
• Sustainable costs/payments,
• Employment generation resulting from development of biomass-to-transportation fuels value chains,
• Job maintenance and creation,
• Related/spin-off economic opportunities. 

We will tell these stories from the perspective of individuals, organizations and businesses researching, teaching and working on these challenges.

We will undertake these efforts in collaboration with colleges and universities along the Appalachian corridor beginning with Pennsylvania State University, along with county farm bureaus, extension services, economic development offices, sustainability offices, regional biofuels producers and many other stakeholders.

 Materials developed by Advanced Biofuels USA will be available in a special section of the web site.

 Phase 2:  After appropriate ground work is laid, we expect interest will grow in exploring what it will take to develop a successful advanced biofuels feedstock and production market in this area.

Advanced Biofuels USA will then facilitate the strategies for that market development by coordinating the following activities: 

• Individual discussions and group workshops to discuss regional participation in the advanced biofuels value chain;
• Analysis of the results of the workshops, and creation of materials to present these results to audiences at collaborating colleges and universities, participating farm bureaus and other growers’ organizations, Future Farmers of America, 4H groups, etc.
• Distribution of background information about this topic and findings, strategies and other results of the workshops;
• Presentations about the workshops and their results; and,
• Making project materials available online.   

Phase 3:  It is anticipated that a third phase of this project will be pursued with 2 or 3 regional growers establishing demonstration plots in a variety of landscapes with 12 regional growers developing business plans and establishing over the following 5 years planted acreage of some appropriate energy crops, perhaps energy sorghum and/or perennial grasses. They will all participate in studies of the test plots and surveys of their experiences with the business plans. Tours will be conducted for growers at the demonstration plots and workshops presented for all stakeholders to share lessons learned.

            Potential test plots

                        Marginal land

                        Reclaimed coal mining acreage

                        Rotational crops

                        Grazing areas/unused pasture land (closed dairy farms)

                        CRP land

            Potential challenges:

•  
  • Transportation of feedstock to refineries
  • Legislation or contracts restricting use of CRP land
  • Crop financing and crop insurance issues (especially if energy grasses are not ready for harvest in one year)
  • Identification of secure market for crop, for intermediate product and end product
  • Competition from other land uses
  • Tax and carbon credit issues

Project Plan:  The project coordinators will manage the writing, editing and promoting for publication of articles for the popular, industry, agricultural and academic press.  They will also make presentations, conduct “train the trainer” sessions and seek opportunities to teach courses about advanced biofuels.

 The project coordinators will develop, with a wide range of stakeholders, strategies to achieve the advanced biofuels potential of forestry residues, agriculture/food processing residues and crops identified by USDA, US DOE and state agencies as advanced biofuels feedstocks (energy sorghum, perennial grasses, forest waste, agriculture or food processing waste, etc.) through the Appalachian corridor

 We expect to conduct the first workshops at collaborating colleges and universities located in the geographic and ecologic area of interest, and where much relevant research is being conducted.  Counties are chosen for their proximity to one another, to collaborating educational facilities, and because they have land use and ownership circumstances representative of the challenges we want to explore, 

• Counties targeted for initial participation in this project include:
  • Maryland: Frederick County
  • Pennsylvania Counties:
    • Crawford
    • Clearfield
    • Perry
    • Adams
    • Franklin
    • Dauphin

As a result, during Phase 1, Advanced Biofuels USA will

• Achieve publication of articles in the popular press about the identified topics
• Achieve publication in an academic journal of an article about using a community model to assess, develop and promote participation in the advanced biofuels value chain.
• Create materials for a 4-sesssion community college retirement learning course at Frederick County Community College (MD).
• Create materials that can be used for 1-hour presentations to community, civic, agriculture, government and industry groups
• Create materials that can be used for 1-hour presentations to student groups such as 4H, Future Farmers of America and college or high school classes on current events, environmental issues, energy security, etc.
• Conduct “train-the-trainer” courses to help instructors become knowledgeable about and comfortable using educational materials developed by Advanced Biofuels USA.

 As a result, during Phase 2,

• Stakeholders representing the advanced biofuels value chain “from seed-to-wheel” will meet at least twice to begin to put together an outline of practical considerations for developing a successful, sustainable energy crop/advanced biofuels industry in the region.
• A preliminary report describing practical strategies for developing a sustainable, profitable advanced biofuels industry in the region will be distributed to stakeholders for implementation via handouts at organization meetings, through county agriculture economic development agencies and online.
• At least 150 growers, 20 students, 1 potential advanced biofuels processor and 1 potential pre-treatment/transportation provider in the region will learn about the academic, practical and economic aspects of using energy feedstocks to produce advanced biofuels in the mid-Atlantic piedmont/mountain region;
• At least 15 growers and 2 students will decide to participate in Phase 3 by either serving as crop demonstration areas, working with others involved in the value chain to implement the strategies developed during the workshops, continuing to conduct workshops or presentations evolved from the workshops to other groups or individuals interested in learning about or participating in a biofuels value chain, etc.

• Realistic information for determining just how much land could come from these areas, and similar areas in the US will be developed.

• At least 50 growers and 10 students will respond to surveys eliciting their opinions about
  • what incentives would be needed to get growers to
  • adopt these practices,
  • grow these crops;
  • what their expectations are regarding a market for these crops;
  • what risks do they perceive in growing/marketing these crops;
  • what prices would they need to charge to make sustainably growing these energy crops profitable;
  • what questions remain that are not answered in the presentations.
• The survey will be analyzed and a report provided to survey respondents, to stakeholders interested in establishing an advanced biofuels industry in the area by direct mail distribution and online.
• Sign-ups for participation in an advanced biofuels energy crop cultivation/harvest/processing/transportation demonstration project will include:
  • At least 5 growers with a variety of growing conditions (marginal land, reclaimed coal mining acreage, rotational crops, grazing areas/unused pasture land (such as closed dairy farms), CRP land, etc.) who will implement the strategies developed in this project;
  • an academic research team who will commit to helping develop and analyze the demonstration plots;
  • 1 on-site pre-treatment/pre-refinery entity which will process biomass at each plot; and
  • 1 biorefinery will accept the product for processing.

Phase 3 anticipated results will be developed as we work through the initial phases of the project. 

Some Issues to Be Discussed throughout the project: 

• Processors need some certainty as to supply of energy crops to process into biofuels; and growers need some certainty of demand. What strategies can be developed to address this “chicken and egg” quandary?
• Is there enough land in this region to sustainably support an energy crop market? Will growers want to change land use from food to energy production? What role can Conservation Reserve Program lands play?
• Project possible employment generation from the resulting value chains.
• What kind of biofuels will be made, by whom, where?
• Should it concern us if the biofuels from local crops do not get sold in local markets?
• How can noncontiguous relatively small fields (compared to mid-western region) be efficiently and effectively cultivated, harvested, processed for the requirements of an advanced biofuels economy?
• How can perishable crops be harvested stored and processed efficiently?
• What are sustainable practices in this area?
• What are the expectations for payment to growers? To producers? To distributors? To banks? How might various stages of cultivation, harvest and production be financed?
• Can those expectations be met in this region? If not now, what would it take? Government programs-tax incentives, carbon credits, subsidies?
• And many others.

About the Organization: The goal of Advanced Biofuels USA is to educate the public, decision-makers and opinion leaders about how US farmers, researchers and industry can produce sustainable and economical biofuels that will directly replace all types of liquid transportation fuels including gasoline and jet fuel, and thus will provide for energy security, military strategic flexibility, climate change mitigation and rural economic development.  Advanced Biofuels USA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization. Its purpose is to promote public understanding, acceptance, and use of advanced biofuels; to promote research, development and improvement of advanced biofuels technologies, production, marketing and delivery; and to promote the sustainable development, cultivation and processing of advanced biofuels crops, and agricultural and forestry residues and wastes.

 About the Coordinators: 

Joanne Ivancic, executive director and a founder of Advanced Biofuels USA, has observed the development of advanced biofuels research and financing for about ten years, promoted advanced biofuels research and production on Capitol Hill and with executive agencies.  Joanne is an attorney, mediator and large-group facilitator.

 Dr. Ritambhara Singh holds an M.S (specialization in Farm Management) and Ph.D. (specialization in Agribusiness) in Agricultural Economics from the G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology in Pantnagar, Uttaranchal, India. She brings her six years of research experience (during masters and graduate studies and post doc research) in economics of production and distribution of crops in the sub Himalayan region in India and an additional three years experience as senior research analyst at the Multi Commodity Exchange of India, Mumbai, in organizing the Pennsylvania based activities for this project.  She will also be in charge of articulating the strategic findings, creating and analyzing surveys and other assessment tools.

 Other Organizations which will be asked to collaborate to carry out the project, contribute funding, personnel time, facilities and equipment to the project: 

• State Land Grant Universities in the Appalachian corridor such as
  • Pennsylvania State University, Departments of Crop and Soil Sciences/Forest Resources/Bioenergy
• County Offices of Economic Development and Offices of Environmental Sustainability (PA, MD, VA, WVA)
• Farm Bureau representatives from a Frederick, Maryland and south-central Pennsylvania counties
• Agriculture equipment manufacturer(s)
• County Farm Bureaus (PA, MD, VA, WVA)
• Atlantic Biomass Conversions, Inc. (MD)
• Biofuels processors including
  • Greenvest Technologies, Inc. (PA)
  • Lake Erie Biofuels (PA)
  • BioEnergy International’s Bionol Clearfield (PA)

Primary Team Members

Joanne Ivancic, Executive Director, Advanced Biofuels USA

Dr. Ritambhara Singh, Project Coordinator (PA)

Tom Browning, President, Frederick County, MD Farm Bureau

Bob Kozak, President, Atlantic Biomass Conversions, Inc.

Advanced Biofuels USA is seeking sponsorship for all or any part of this project.  Please contact Joanne Ivancic, executive director, Advanced Biofuels USA for more information.  301-644-1395