Articles tagged with: perennial grasses
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Er, what are AHB, SUBI, BANR, SBAR, NARA, CENUSA, SPARC, IBSS and NEWBIO?
You’d be forgiven if you mistook Ahb Subi Banr-Sbar for a well-placed official in the Iranian government — but, in fact, it’s a 9-project …
by Sarah Wurzbacher (Penn State Extension) The Association of Warm-Season Grass Producers (AWSGP) has had a busy year, and now voices market optimism for perennial grass products.
One of the group’s primary efforts from the start has …
by Julie Harker (Brownfield Ag News) Mixed prairie grasses that are used in Conservation Reserve Program lands did not live up to their potential as biomass crops for cellulosic biofuel production, in an eight-year study. D.K. Lee, …
(South Dakota State University/Biomass Magazine) Can farmers produce at least 1 billion tons of biomass per year that can be used as biofuels feedstock? That’s the question that researchers are trying to answer, according to North Central …
(University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences/Science Daily) A new report provides practical agronomic data for five cellulosic feedstocks, which could improve adoption and increase production across the country. — … “Early yield estimates …
by M. Cristina Negri (U.S. Department of Energy) Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in Argonne, Illinois, are examining innovative new agricultural landscapes that incorporate perennial bioenergy crops to provide environmental benefits, such as improved nutrient management and …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … You’d be forgiven if you mistook Ahb Subi Banr-Sbar for a well-placed official in the Iranian government — but, in fact, it’s a 9-project network to facilitate the development of regionally-based …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) “Italian newspapers reported over the weekend that cellulosic ethanol developer Mossi & Ghisolfi shuts down this week,” reported a source from Europe. “227 people of whom 121 from the Crescentino ethanol …
(University of Illinois ACES/Biomass Magazine) Researchers from the United States and China have proposed an idea that could improve China’s air quality, but they’re not atmospheric scientists. They’re agronomists.
“China’s poor air quality is caused by …
(Phys.Org/Michigan State University) Could cellulosic biofuels – or liquid energy derived from grasses and wood – become a green fuel of the future, providing an environmentally sustainable way of meeting energy needs? In Science, researchers at …
(Univeristy of Pittsburg/R&D Magazine) Numerous studies have raised critical concerns about the promise of corn ethanol’s ability to mitigate climate change and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Some of the studies have suggested that after …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last December , the U.S. Department of Energy announced it would support the country’s 10th Manufacturing USA Institute with $70 million over five years, subject to federal appropriations. Another $70 million is …
(Phys.Org) … Taking up this double-edged sword is Cynthia Bartel, a doctoral candidate at Iowa State University. She’s finding a way to lessen the harm and increase the benefits of removing maize stover.
“While water and wind …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Direct Combustion, Anaerobic Digestion, Cellulosic Biofuels, Biochemicals, and Animal Feed: these are just some of the markets envisioned for a fast-growing grass known as Giant King Grass. With composition like corn stover or …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Bioenergy Feedstock Library is a physical sample repository and database for physical, chemical and conversion performance characteristics of biomass feedstock.
The library provides tools to store, record, track, retrieve, and analyze data to help …
by Jessica Rose Spangler (Lancaster Farming) Ethanol isn’t a new concept. Using corn to make it isn’t either. And Pennsylvania even has a plant to create it, Pennsylvania Grain Processing LLC in Clearfield, which is capable …
(NewBIO/Cooperative Extension System) Technology patented by Renmatix enables the manufacture of industrial sugars from biomass on a scale that is commercially cost-effective.
Table of Contents
Introduction
From Biomass to Sugars
Benefits of Supercritical Water
Customers Rebuild Biorefiners based on Plantrose™ …
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Researchers and others interested in establishing a sustainable bioeconomy in the U.S. are taking part in a five-day study tour led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National …
by Robin Young (NPR’s Here and Now)
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is the only member of the cabinet who’s been there since President Obama took office. He heads a department that oversees a wide swath of …
(Phys.Org) … Today, scientists are exploring how grasses, and switchgrass in particular, can enrich the nation’s biofuel supply, which is currently dominated by corn, a crop relatively easy to convert to biofuel but also in demand …
by Dave Evensen (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Research finds where bioenergy crops would grow best while minimizing detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems — … Researchers at the University of Illinois used detailed models to examine impacts …
by Tapan Susheel (Times of India) Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-R) have achieved remarkable success in generating low-cost biofuel using a perennial weed, Kans grass. This grass, native to the subcontinent, …
(Agri-View/Renewable Energy World) The relationship between a prairie grass such as switchgrass and naturally occurring microbes may help shed light on growing hardier plants for livestock and humans. Understanding how microbes promote prairie grasses to …
by Nathan Collins (Pacific Standard) Researchers combine ecological and economic models to examine the benefits of growing grass as fuel. — … Fortunately, corn isn’t the only source of ethanol—in particular, there are perennial grasses like …
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Second-generation biofuel crops like the perennial grasses Miscanthus and switchgrass can efficiently meet emission reduction goals without significantly displacing cropland used for food production, according to a new study. Researchers …
by Mark E. Griffin (Wisconsin Energy Institute/University of Wisconsin) A six-year Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) study on the viability of different bioenergy feedstocks recently demonstrated that perennial cropping systems such as switchgrass, giant …
by Kay Ledbetter (AgriLife Today) Dr. Russ Jessup, an AgriLife Research perennial grass breeder in College Station, said he is introducing a new biofuel-biomass feedstock that is a hybrid “similar to seedless watermelons, seedless grapes …
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On October 9, the U.S. Department of Energy released a report about the threats posed by climate change to the U.S. electricity and fuels sector, U.S. Energy Sector: Regional Vulnerabilities …
(Michigan State University) Converting large tracts of the Midwest’s marginal farming land to perennial biofuel crops carries with it some key unknowns, including how it could affect the balance of water between rainfall, evaporation and …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Though challenges remain, particularly in affordable feedstock, the US National Research Council says “Despite impressive recent and projected growth, the manufacturing of chemicals using biological synthesis and engineering could expand …
(Elsevier) Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels examines all current and emerging feedstocks and the advanced processes and technologies enabling the development of their end products, ranging from solid (wood energy, grass energy, and other biomass) to …
(USDA Agricultural Research Service/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The release of a new type of switchgrass specifically designed for bioenergy generation has been announced by USDA researchers and their partners. Agricultural Research Service scientists have spent decades working on …
by Kelly April Tyrrell (University of Wisconsin-Madison) In Wisconsin, bioenergy is for the birds. Really. In a study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) …
by Marc Gunther (The Guardian) California startup NexSteppe presents a new brand of sorghum, bred for optimal energy production, designed as a greener alternative to corn for ethanol fuels and biomass boilers
As scientists around the …
(Vermont Bioenergy Initiative) A new report evaluating grass biomass energy as a potential heating fuel has been released. Grass Energy in Vermont and the Northeast summarizes current research on the agronomy and usage potential of grass as …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Thought you knew everything there was to know about some of biofuels’ favorite feedstocks? Here are 18 free reports that may dampen or re-ignite your enthusiasm.
…To bring you up to …
(California Council on Science and Technology) Advanced biofuels have the potential to provide California with economic opportunities while reducing greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the state’s climate and clean air policies. However, the state may …
(North Central Regional Center for Rural Development) Innovations in Agriculture and Rural Development
A free webinar series designed for business owners and entrepreneurs to learn more about university developed technology that may be relevant to your current or future …
(Biofuels International) Australian research company Agritechnology has found a location as it further develops a biofuels demonstration plant.
A site for the plant has been chosen in Orange, New South Wales and it will aim to …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Louisiana — hot as cayenne pepper in biofuels capacity development, but some cautionary tales there in the sauce.
When it comes to the first generation of ethanol and biodiesel-based biofuels, Louisiana …
(SFN Today) At the North Carolina Board of Agriculture’s meeting on Tuesday, whether or not to classify Arundo donax as a noxious weed in the state was at the top of the agenda. Vernon Cox, …
(Biofuels Center of North Carolina) The Perennial Grass Grower Assistance program was established in 2011 by N.C. State University with funding by the Biofuels Center of North Carolina to support the expansion of biomass acreage …
by Christopher K. Wright and Michael C. Wimberly (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) In the US Corn Belt, a recent doubling in commodity prices has created incentives for landowners to convert grassland to …
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Like it or not, corn and corn ethanol production are large, established industries in the U.S. While they provide significant economic, energy, and environmental benefits for our …
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The USDA estimates that farmers in the U.S. will plant nine million more acres in corn in 2013 than they did in 2011, an increase of almost 10 …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …In Maryland, The Wildlife Society released a Technical Review, “Effects of Bioenergy Production on Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat,” to provide answers to questions on bioenergy development and wildlife so that …
(Renmatix/Sacramento Bee) Building on success in hardwood, Philadelphia-based Renmatix adds on-site capability to convert multiple local and international feedstocks to cellulosic sugar
Renmatix, the leading manufacturer of cellulosic sugars for biobased chemical and fuel markets, welcomed …
(25 x ’25) … In any strategy aimed at meeting America’s soaring energy demand, biomass must be considered a principal among the several renewable, sustainable solutions that make up the fastest growing domestic energy sector since …
by Nino Marchetti (EarthTechling) One of the major issues facing those growing biofuel crops are finding suitable locations where they can be grown sustainably, avoiding competition with food crops for land resources. A new renewable energy research project being …
by Blair Fannin (Texas A&M University) Dr. Bill McCutchen sees the potential for the southeast to become the ‘Saudi Arabia’ for production of dedicated energy crops.
“It’s the Bioenergy Belt,” said McCutchen, executive associate director of …
(Pennsylvania State University) The Northeast could help lead the way to a renewable-energy-based economy by utilizing marginal and abandoned land to grow energy crops such as perennial grasses and fast-growing woody plants.
That’s the goal of …
by Kristofor Husted (KBIA) In the parched, rolling hills of western Missouri, you might expect to see a desolate scene after this summer’s drought. But in this field, hip-high native grass sways across the landscape like …
(Biofuels Center of North Carolina) As part of its project to establish energy grasses in the southeastern part of the state on hog lagoon sprayfields and verify the economic opportunities for biofuels, the Biofuels Center …
by John Ramsey (Fayetteville Observer) The grass grows as tall as two men and thick as a jungle.
This, farmers across the Cape Fear region keep hearing, is the future of ethanol. The giant miscanthus is …
(Yahoo! News) Applied Ecological Services, The Earth Partners, LP, and POET team up to apply science to industry: Cross-sector demonstration showcases the potential of conservation biomass as an alternative energy source.
It’s a very good week for the United States alternative energy …
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) Cleaner, more sustainable, more climate-friendly, more affordable advanced biofuels are closer to reality than many outside the industry seem to think. At least three new, advanced biofuel biorefineries are being …
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) While the drought in the U.S. is beginning to take a significant toll on some of the nation’s crops—particularly in the Midwest and the Corn Belt—it seems most energy crops …
by Heather Youngs and Chris Somerville (The Scientist) Research is underway to reduce the use of food crops for biofuels by shifting to dedicated energy crops and agricultural residues.
…Conversion of biomass is currently the most …
(California Academy of Sciences) The future of biofuel technologies needs to take a whole-picture approach. WATCH VIDEO
by Kelly Madsen (IowaStateDaily.com) The Iowa State University-led Cenusa Bioenergy project works to develop a biofuel with both a Midwestern and environmental focus.
Through a five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National …
by Skip Derra (Arizona State University/Western Farm Press) A team of researchers from Arizona State University, Stanford University and Carnegie Institution for Science has found that converting large swaths of land to bioenergy crops could …
(Iowa State University) Now, an 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 producers.
A multi-state, interdisciplinary …
(Reuters/VIASPACE) VIASPACE Executive Highlights Giant King Grass Advancement & Commercial Opportunities in Africa to Generate Electricity, Manufacture Energy Pellets and Produce Bio-Fuels: Presents at the Biomass West & Central Africa Congress in Ghana
VIASPACE, Inc., a clean …
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Create RiceNet for Predicting Genetic Functions in Rice
The first genome-scale model for predicting the functions of genes and gene networks in a grass species has been developed …
by Liz Ahlberg (University of Illinois) Many energy researchers and environmental advocates are excited about the prospect of gaining more efficient large-scale biofuel production by using large grasses like miscanthus or switchgrass rather than …
(Biofuels Journal) Five undergraduate students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign received a $5,000 grant from British Petroleum to research the engineering properties of biomass.
The students wrote the grant to develop a virtual database that will …
by Don Comis (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers have developed an inexpensive way to grade the ethanol potential of perennial grasses at the biorefinery’s loading dock.
That future …
by Tiffany Stecker (ClimateWire/Scientific American) A study looks into giving farmers permission to harvest cellulosic feedstocks on land set aside for wetlands and wildlife conservation
Growing cellulosic feedstocks on federally subsidized conservation land could balance the biofuels emissions …
by Maggie Koerth-Baker (BoingBoing) …In a nutshell, that’s why liquid fuel is so valuable. So far, it’s the clear winner when we need energy for transportation—especially air transportation and heavy, long-distance shipping—because it allows you …
by Perrin H. Beatty and Allen G. Good (Science Magazine) Nitrogen availability is limiting to plant growth and has long been overcome through applications of synthetic nitrogen-rich fertilizer. This has revolutionized crop yield and food production worldwide, but …
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) The link between increased insecticide use and landscape simplification has now been documented by a team of researchers from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.
…But, while the research showed the …
(EurekAlert!/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Growing perennial grasses on the least productive farmland now used for corn ethanol production in the U.S. would result in higher overall corn yields, more ethanol output per acre and …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Mendel CEO Neal Gutterson talks about miscanthus, and the role of the power sector as the driver of a global supply chain for biomass.
…The company’s IP lies in its understanding …
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) The time could come when farmers aren’t getting on their tractors every spring to plant their crops, or even plowing their fields, exposing them to erosion.
At least that’s the …
(Biofuels Center of North Carolina) The Biofuels Center of North Carolina has awarded $1.6 million for 15 projects statewide to accelerate the commercialization of renewable liquid fuels. Awards are made through the 2011 Statewide Biofuels …
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) Viaspace reports independent test results of Giant King Grass evaluation.
Data gathered during independent evaluations of Viaspace Inc.’s Giant King Grass demonstrate the crop has essentially the same properties as corn …
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced research grants awarded to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs. …
(Stanford University News) Concerns about the impact of corn ethanol on global warming have raised interest in more eco-friendly perennial grasses. A new study finds that large-scale cultivation of perennials could actually reduce regional surface …
