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Mississippi Mississippi Feedstocks Feedstocks Research Research Brian Baldwin Dept. of Plant and Soil Science

Mississippi Feedstocks Research

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Mississippi Feedstocks Research. Brian Baldwin Dept. of Plant and Soil Science. Focus Crops. Dry Harvested, truly deciduous Switchgrass Giant miscanthus (Mxg) – yields are twice swtg Wet harvested Sweet sorghum (sugar and bagasse) Energycane (some sugar and whole stalk) - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Mississippi Mississippi Feedstocks Feedstocks ResearchResearch

Brian BaldwinDept. of Plant and Soil Science

Page 2: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Focus Crops• Dry Harvested, truly deciduous

– Switchgrass– Giant miscanthus (Mxg) – yields are twice swtg

• Wet harvested– Sweet sorghum (sugar and bagasse)– Energycane (some sugar and whole stalk)

• Inclusion of Mississippi cultivars– Napiergrass (elephantgrass) – de-emphasized

Page 3: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Giant Miscanthus18-20 T/A

Switchgrass7-10 T/A

Page 4: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research
Page 5: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Standability

Page 6: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Sweet sorghum8-12 T/A

Naipergrass0-19 T/A

Energycane5-23 T/A

Page 7: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

End of Season Harvest2008

Tonn

age

Tons/A (front columns) Mg/ha (back columns)

Page 8: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Wood• Still the primary feedstock for existing and

new EtOH and syngas plants

• Can we provide grass between trees as they are regenerating (co-culture).– What are the potential effects on each crop?– What are the economics of the expected yield

compromise?

Page 9: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Establishment• Like real estate, its all about three things

– Establishment, establishment, establishment

• Need herbicides that work for switchgrass– pre- especially

• Need herbicides we can use in Mxg

Page 10: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Herbicide Resistance

Seed Safener

Low Seed Dormancy

Page 11: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Land Resources• Land for biomass crops will NOT come

from row crop land– Land will come from hill country where it can

serve as a (soil) conservation incentive

Page 12: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Land Resources– Land will come from CRP and pasture

• What will be the method of conversion?• Can we convert from existing CRP and pasture

land?• Develop establishment techniques to enable swtg

proliferation in mixed stands

Page 13: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs

• Track N cycling in the plant

Page 14: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs

• Associative dinitrogen fixation– Association of micro-organisms in and around the

crop roots

Page 15: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs

• Winter legumes (perennial or annual) as a source of nitrogen• Must be timed with harvest

Page 16: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Nutrient Cycling / Lower Inputs

• Organics/carbon sequestration over time

Page 17: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Use of By-products

• Char– Syngas and biooil plants getting 250,000 lbs

of feedstock a day will generate volumes of this.

• Will application to soil affect nutrient availability?• Can we create terra preta nova ?• Will it be advantageous?

Page 18: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research

Co-ordination with Feds.• DoE and its derivatives (INL, NREL, ORNL)

– Characterization of factors that affect quality of biomass

• Weathering effects on structural carbohydrates• Fertilizer source (esp Cl- and SO4

-2)• Soil type and luxury consumption of soil minerals• Species effects on structural carbohydrates

– Cultivar (esp. Forestburg)

• USDA (ARS and NRCS)

Page 19: Mississippi  Feedstocks  Research