Transcript 4'x4' Poster Presentation

Evaluating eTuber and Energybeets as Feedstock for
Biofuels and Biogas in South Florida
Brian
1
Boman ,
Edward
2
Evans
and Ann C.
3
Wilkie
1Agricultural
and Biological Engineering Dept., UF-IFAS Indian River REC, Ft. Pierce, FL.
2Food and Resource Economics Dept., UF-IFAS Tropical REC, Homestead, FL.
3Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida-IFAS, Gainesville, FL.
Project Tasks
Abstract
Field trials: experiments on planting density, rotation
crops, fertilizer and irrigation rates, pest & disease
control, and planting and harvest times.
Processing: Optimization of protocols for conversion
into ethanol and by-products, green house gas (GHG)
analysis for eTuber from field and processing data, and
testing syrup as a putative feedstock for e-coli, algae,
and yeast to make biodiesel, jet fuel, etc.
Biogas: develop a method of producing biogas using
culled sweetpotatoes, vines, and stillage through
anaerobic digestion.
Economics: cost of growing crops, economic analysis of
conversion to ethanol and biofuels, market potential
analysis, and impact of commercialization on economic
development in FL.
The number one handicap to development of a
biofuel industry for Florida is the lack of a heat
tolerant, well adapted feedstock crop available year
round. To be practical, crops grown for fuel-ethanol
must be abundant, cheap, widely available, and use
processing technology ready now. The crops that
meet this criterion in Florida are the carbohydrate
crops like the industrial sweetpotato (eTuber™),
sorghum, and other starch and sugar crops. This
project is evaluating the eTuber™ and rotation crops
such as energy beets and sweet sorghum. The
eTuber™ has 50% more dry matter than current
leading varieties of sweetpotatoes grown in Florida.
As a result, it has a greatly increased ethanol
producing potential and the eTuber’s starch can be
processed with the technology used in a corn ethanol
plant. The crop tolerates heat, requires little
irrigation, and has been shown to produce 4 to 5
times as much starch per acre as corn. The Energy
Beet is a non-edible biomass crop that is “Generation
1.5” simple sugar crop. It does not need to be
converted from starch and can produce twice as
much sugar per acre as corn. In addition, Energy
Beets ferment without the need for enzymes. The byproducts can be used as a livestock feed supplement.
Objectives
•Field trials with eTuber™ - yield & growing protocol
•Rotation crops (sugarbeet, sweet sorghum, others)
•Development of protocols to process into ethanol &
biodiesel
•Complete economic analysis
•Greenhouse gas analysis
•Application for Advanced Biofuel Feedstock (ABF)
designation
Energy Beet Components
Potential 2-year crop
rotation plans with harvest
11 months per year .
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Energy Beet planting with center
May
pivot irrigation at UF/IRREC farm.
Jun
Jul
Cooperators
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Energy beet
Sweet sorghum
- ratoon crop
eTuber
Acknowledgements
17-pound eTuberTM next
to a table sweetpotato.
Sweet Sorghum
Florida Energy Beet Production
This research is sponsored by
FDACS Office of Energy and the
State of Florida