Bioenergy at UF/IFAS

1. Bioenergy at UF/IFAS

2. Vero Beach Ft. Pierce Belle Glade Ft. Lauderdale • Jay • Quincy Marianna • Milton • Live Oak • Gainesville Bioenergy Feedstocksin Florida • Apopka • Brooksville • Lake Alfred • Balm 15 million acres of forest land 10 million acres of farm land • Immokalee • #1 in sugarcane and citrus • #1 in forest residues • #1 in urban wood waste Homestead

3. Sugarcane Sweet Sorghum Grasses Silage Corn Trees Urban Tree Waste Vegetable Waste Data Compiled and Calculated by Drs. Mary Duryea & George Hochmuth; UF/IFAS; May 2007

4. Sugarcane The DOE reports that the U.S. can produce over 1.3 billion tons of cellulosic biomass per year. • Our Potential in Florida: • Agricultural Crops: 11.49 mill tons/yr • Tree Crops: 64 mill. tons/yr • Ag/Forestry Waste: 18 mill. tons/yr • 93.5 million dry tons biomass x (60 to 100 gal ethanol/ton) = • Florida currently uses 8.6 billion gallons of gasoline per year Sweet Sorghum Cellulosic Biomass for Ethanol 93.5 million dry tons/yr in Florida (7% of U.S. total) Grasses Silage Corn Trees Potential Production of Ethanol 5 to 9 billion gallons of ethanol per year in Florida Urban Tree Waste Vegetable Waste

5. Biomass to Ethanol Process ETHANOL Acid Hydrolysis Fiber Residue (cellulose+lignin) Di s t i l l a t i on Cellulase “Detox” Syrup Co-products K.oxytoca (cellulase) Fungal Cellulase Hemicellulose Syrup E.coli (cellulase) SSF Nutrients Nutrients Beer Residue to Boiler • Team headed by Dr. Lonnie Ingram • Over 20 patents for cellulosic ethanol • e.g. “Ethanol production from lignocellulose”, “Ethanol production using engineered E.coli” • 2 spin-off companies • Verenium (Ethanol) • BioEnergy (Organic Acids)

6. UF/IFAS & Cellulosic Ethanol • New Center of Excellence – Biofuel Pilot Plant $2.25 million – under construction in Gainesville • New Research and Demonstration Cellulosic Ethanol Plant $20 million from State Legislature • To be located at FL Crystals near Belle Glade • Goals = • To accelerate commercial development of cellulosic ethanol processes and • To provide alternative income sources for Florida agriculture and forestry.

7. UF/IFAS & Bioenergy: • Developing Energy Crops: • Increasing yield • Improving processing efficiency

8. 1. Developing Energy Crops –Energycane, Grasses, and Sweet Sorghum • 45 sugarcane hybrids selected for biomass production are being evaluated at Everglades REC • The best performing hybrids will be evaluated for cellulosic conversion to ethanol • hybrids could produce over 2,000 gallons of ethanol per acre

9. 1. Developing Energy Crops –Grasses -- High Biomass Crops • Other high biomass crops being investigated include: • Giant reed • Erianthus • Elephantgrass • Miscanthus

10. Research is being conducted to: Determine the best varieties for Florida Evaluate fertilizer and water requirements Results will help investors and growers make informed decisions on sweet sorghum as an energy crop 1. Developing Energy Crops –Sweet Sorghum

11. 2. Developing Energy Crops –Improving Processing Efficiency Multidisciplinary Forest Genomics Team John Davis Molecular Genetics/ Genomics Dudley Huber Quantitative Genetics/ Tree Improvement Eric Jokela Production Ecology/ Silviculture Matias Kirst Quantitative Genetics/ Genomics Gary Peter Biochemistry/ Molecular Genetics Tim Martin Tree Physiology/ Ecophysiology

12. cell wall chemistry lignin hemicellulose cellulose 2. Developing Energy Crops –Improving Processing Efficiency wood specific gravity Wood properties are genetically controlled. early late

13. Target Traits for Bioenergy Production cell wall chemistry lignin hemicellulose cellulose 2. Developing Energy Crops –Improving Processing Efficiency • Fast Growth - high yield per unit input • Biological Conversion • High carbohydrate content • High ‘easy-to-utilize’ carbohydrates • Low lignin, low extractives • Thermal Conversion • High energy content • High wood density, low water • High lignin, high extractives

14. 2. Developing Energy Crops –Improving Processing Efficiency • Discovered a new gene that will help ethanol production – • Naturally occurring gene in the tree species Populus • Leads to a reduction in lignin content by almost half • Results in faster growth and • Has higher cellulose content. • This combination is highly favorable for increased ethanol production.

15. Bioenergy Research & Extension at UF/IFAS • Energy Crops and • Agricultural & Forestry Waste • Crops: Grasses, Sugarcane, Sorghum, Trees; Waste: Forest & Mill Residue, Urban Wood Waste, Dairy Waste, Bagasse, … Conversion Engineering Hydrolysis / Fermentation/ Distillation, Thermal Conversion, Anaerobic Digestion, Gasification, …. • Bioenergy • Cellulosic Ethanol, Biodiesel, Biogas, Bioelectricity, Bioproducts, Butanol; • By-products, …. Environmental Impacts & Sustainability Water, Waste, Air, Soil, Wildlife, Climate, Energy Balance, Life Cycle Studies, … Economics & Policy Subsidies, Incentives, Taxes, Rural Development, Incorporating Market Externalities e.g. C Credits, …

16. With: UF’s expertise in bioenergy + UF/Industry/Government/Private partnerships + Florida’s capacity to grow biomass We can: • Advance the science of bioenergy. • Accelerate the commercialization of renewable biofuels and chemicals. • Contribute substantially to global sustainable energy supply.