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Making Fuel from Forages

Making Fuel from Forages. Ryan Lock ( in for the Hawaiian vacationing) Robert Kallenbach Division of Plant Sciences. The epitome of forage based fuels. A more sophisticated model. E3 Biofuels , Shawnee, KS. Biomass Sugar Platform Pre-distillation. Agriculture has some decisions to make.

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Making Fuel from Forages

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  1. Making Fuel from Forages Ryan Lock (in for the Hawaiian vacationing) Robert Kallenbach Division of Plant Sciences

  2. The epitome of forage based fuels

  3. A more sophisticated model E3 Biofuels, Shawnee, KS

  4. Biomass Sugar PlatformPre-distillation

  5. Agriculture has some decisions to make • Energy independence • Value added crops • Competition for commodities • Interesting times for Price discovery • My background is old school • Cattle/forages/feed CRP acres show promise as a buffer (Average $50/acre, currently)

  6. Remember when…?

  7. For every action…a reaction

  8. Recent Biofuel research at Mizzou • Switchgrass • Cooperative project with 8 other states • Cool-season CRP and CRP renovation with legumes and Switchgrass • Cooperative project with 4 other states Big challenges require teamwork

  9. MU Switchgrass data Latitudinal and Longitudinal Adaptation of Switchgrass Populations M. D. Caslera,*, K. P. Vogelb, C. M. Taliaferroc, N. J. Ehlked, J. D. Berdahle, E. C. Brummerf, R. L. Kallenbachg, C. P. Westh and R. B. Mitchellb • Crop Sci 47:2249-2260 (2007) Take home messages: Not all varieties of switchgrass are created equal A variety should not be grown more than 1 hardiness zone away from its ancestral origin Cave-in-Rock most widely adapted to migration

  10. MU cool-season CRP data Switchgrass dominated warm-season mixture, ND Switchgrass dominated warm-season mixture with legume, KA Tall fescue dominated cool-season mixture with two-cut system, MO Tall wheatgrass dominated cool-season mixture with legume, MT Switchgrass dominated warm-season mixture, OK

  11. MU cool-season CRP data • Yields not tremendous • Next logical step • Integrate Switchgrass to beef up yields • legumes to provide N • Yellow sweetclover • Switchgrass • Binary mixture • w/without glyphosate to establish

  12. Challenges • Production • Mandates • Approx. 16 Billion gallons of ethanol from biomass • At 100 gallons per ton conversion efficiency = 160 Million tons of biomass needed • At an ave. yield of 5 t/a we need 32 million acres • A typical 50 Million gallon/yr plant would need 500,000 tons of cellulosic materials – about 1 million big round bales

  13. Challenges • Transport – about 4 times higher for biomass than grains • Corn 44 lb/ft3 • Biomass 10 to 12 lb/ft3 • Storage - where do you keep 1 million bales without having them deteriorate? • Outside storage helps? • Enough to fill Memorial Stadium level full with bales 5 times

  14. Challenges • Economic benefit to producers – • Current prices for a great deal of biomass greater as forage than fuel • Most cellulosic models built on $35-45/ton feedstock • Higher fuel prices would improve feedstock value • Fertilizer costs for N-P-K • $40/T for cool-season crp • $25/T for switchgrass • Organic matter • losses from removing crop residues • gains under crp w/switchgrass (2.4 and 4 Mg/ha) • N rate dependant (Lee et al., Agron. J. 99:462–468 (2007)).

  15. Challenges • Risk management • Can you hedge these commodities?

  16. Hedging?

  17. Hedging?

  18. Hedging?

  19. Summary • Find 3 million acres to grow corn on • Ensure CRP acres can provide enough cellulosic material • Figure out how to supply CRP with N from legumes

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