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Perennial Biomass Crops for a Healthy Planet * * And how GLBW can lead the way. Steve John Agricultural Watershed Institute [email protected] (217) 877-5640 Green Lands Blue Waters Conference November 20, 2013. Perennial Biomass Crops. Switchgrass Miscanthus Other grasses - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Perennial Biomass Crops for a Healthy Planet *
* And how GLBW can lead the way
Steve John Agricultural Watershed Institute
[email protected](217) 877-5640
Green Lands Blue Waters ConferenceNovember 20, 2013
Perennial Biomass Crops•Switchgrass•Miscanthus•Other grasses•Prairie polycultures •Willows & other SRC trees
Today → heat, electricity, forage
Tomorrow → cellulosic biofuels
Components of perennial biomass projects:
1. Outreach & assistance to early adopters
Some landowners like the “GYOF” idea – Grow your own fuel!
Caterpillar – AWIPrairie for BioenergyDemonstration Plots
Planted Spring 2011
Switchgrass harvested August 2012
2. Market and enterprise
development
Markets for biomass~ and ~
Compensation for ecosystem services
Eastern Illinois University’s Renewable Energy Center burns wood chips during start-up period. May shift to a grass—wood blend.
Components of perennial biomass projects:
Community Supported Energy• Grow energy crop• Densify into pellets or briquettes• Deliver biomass fuel to customers• Collect ash & return nutrients to the soil
Buskirk Densification System
A-Maiz-ing Heat Furnace
Madelia Model: Perennial Feedstocks to
Advanced Biofuel
Goal:Utilize Local Grown Renewable Energy as a
Catalyst for Increasing Perennials on the Landscape to Reduce Pollution from
Production Agriculture
L M
esch
ke P
hoto
Madelia slldes: Linda Meschke, Rural Advantage
Examples of energy conversion technologies used or proposed for perennial grass biomass
• Pellets or briquettes for heat or power:o Hudson Valley Grass Energy (NY)o Piedmont Geriatric Hospital (VA) – (Burns undensified chopped grass)o N.E. Poconos RC&D / Benton School District (PA)o Agrecol (WI)o Show Me Energy Cooperative (MO)
• I. Torrefaction → II. Syngas → III. Liquid biofuelo Rural Advantage – Madelia Model (MN)
• Drop-in gasoline or jet fuel: o Show Me Energy Cooperative (MO)o Cool Planet Energy Systems
• Anaerobic digesters w/grass biomass:o Roeslein Alternative Energy / Midwest Conservation Biomass Alliance
3. Develop and demonstrate landscape design concepts:
Optimize co-production of biomass & environmental benefits
• Water Quality• Biodiversity• Wildlife habitat• GHG reduction
Prairie grass buffer separating an organic field from the adjacent
conventionally-farmed field.
Components of perennial biomass projects:
Forb Dominated Field Borders & Drive Rows• Maximize Wildlife Benefit & Reduce Equipment Damage
FDC Enterprises is developing and field testing production and logistics concepts for perennial grass biomass.
• Visualizations and models show appearance & quantify production and conservation from possible landscape designs
• Shared evaluation of these designs to sort through options, win-wins, tradeoffs…
Design/Planning Workshops: Visualizing Agricultural Landscapes
Credit: Nick Jordan – Seven Mile Creek Biomass Production Planning Project
Perennial biomass crops on Central Illinois farmsMacon County – Perennial crops will be planted on a sloping site for forage and enhanced water quality: • Alfalfa• Eastern gamagrass• Warm season grass mixAs markets develop, grasses and alfalfa stems may be used as feedstock for bioenergy or bioproducts.
Mixed warm season grassesEastern gamagrass
Drainage discharge pipeDiverter
box
Riparian buffer Field
Saturated buffer concept: Tile flow is diverted to soil column under buffer.Nitrates removed via plant uptake and denitrification.“Lost” nutrients could fertilize a perennial biomass crop.
Adapted from Dan Jaynes, USDA, 2009.
Economic model projections of biomass energy generally appear to omit consideration of benefits. Would placing values on soil, water, wildlife and GHG benefits lead to a bigger biomass wedge?
Bloomberg New Energy Finance projections of annual installations of new power sources
Targeted to Marginal Lands*
Less Production/ Input Costs
Biomass Production
Payment from the Energy Facility
Ecological Uplift
Payment
Payment at least as good as
Corn/Soybeans
Potential Ecological Uplifts: Sediment, N & P Reduction Water Storage Increased Wildlife & Pollinator Habitat Carbon Sequestered GHG Reduced
* Compare economics of corn production on marginal lands to dedicated energy crop economics. USDA – NRCS Photo
Wheat
Upper Midwest Crop Area
1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
Cro
p A
rea
Har
vest
ed (1
000
ha)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
Corn
SoybeanHay
OatWheat
Nitrogen fertilizer production begins 1947
Transition to grain-only farming: ~1950-1970
Key messages for perennial biomassBiomass crops are the only source of renewable energy that can provide landscape-scale ecological benefits → clean water, wildlife habitat, GHG reduction, soil health …
Fossil fuels cost less than perennial biomass because the environmental goods of perennials and the environmental bads of fossil fuels are ignored.
Climate change, the shift toward renewables, and Gulf hypoxia may be drivers of change on a par with the introduction of inorganic fertilizer after WW II.GLBW has the vision & expertise to help guide this transformation.
We should have a sense of urgency to overcome the barriers.