The grass is greener: ethanol study
Researchers at the University of Illinois in the US have completed the first extensive geographic yield and economic analysis of potential bioenergy grass crops in the Midwestern US.
In recognition of this problem, federal regulations mandate that 79 billion litres of biofuels must be produced annually from non-corn biomass by 2022. Large grasses, such as switchgrass and miscanthus, could provide biomass with the added benefits of better nitrogen fixation and carbon capture, higher ethanol volumes per acre and lower water requirements than corn.
Switchgrass is a large prairie grass native to the Midwest, and miscanthus, a sterile hybrid, is already widely cultivated in Europe as a biofuel crop.
The Illinois team said they wanted to determine whether biofuel grasses could be viable cash crops in the US and to explore how this viability varies by location.
The researchers found that, in general, the yield is very high for miscanthus – up to three times higher than switchgrass in the Midwest. Even through switchgrass is native to the region, it does not grow well in higher latitudes like Minnesota or Wisconsin because it has poor tolerance for cold temperatures.
For both grasses, yield varies considerably throughout the Midwest, generally lower in the north and much higher in the south.
Ultimately, the study found that biofuel grasses could be a viable crop in the US under certain conditions.
In recognition of this problem, federal regulations mandate that 79 billion litres of biofuels must be produced annually from non-corn biomass by 2022. Large grasses, such as switchgrass and miscanthus, could provide biomass with the added benefits of better nitrogen fixation and carbon capture, higher ethanol volumes per acre and lower water requirements than corn.
Switchgrass is a large prairie grass native to the Midwest, and miscanthus, a sterile hybrid, is already widely cultivated in Europe as a biofuel crop.
The Illinois team said they wanted to determine whether biofuel grasses could be viable cash crops in the US and to explore how this viability varies by location.
The researchers found that, in general, the yield is very high for miscanthus – up to three times higher than switchgrass in the Midwest. Even through switchgrass is native to the region, it does not grow well in higher latitudes like Minnesota or Wisconsin because it has poor tolerance for cold temperatures.
For both grasses, yield varies considerably throughout the Midwest, generally lower in the north and much higher in the south.
Ultimately, the study found that biofuel grasses could be a viable crop in the US under certain conditions.
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