Sustainable Production and Distribution of Bioenergy for the Central USA

Agro-ecosystem Approach to Sustainable Biofuels Production via the Pyrolysis-Biochar Platform (USDA-NIFA AFRI CAP)

Oil Prices

140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Source: EIA for history, NYMEX for future

Population

World 2011 (billion) 6.946

World 2030 (billion) 8.323

World 2050 (billion) 9.441

U.S.

0.311

U.S.

Nigeria 0.366

0.264

U.S.

0.423

Pakistan Ethiopia Bangladesh Philippines 0.291

0.278

0.250

0.172

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, International Data Base

Liquid Fuel Usage

2007 United States Canada Mexico Europe Japan China India Africa Central and South America World (Million Barrels Oil Equivalent per Day) 20.6

2.3

2.1

15.3

5.0

7.6

2.8

3.1

6.0

86.1

Source: Energy Information Administration 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 98% 96% 105% 92% 84% 132% 114% 113% 110% 103% (Percent of 2007 Value) 100% 102% 104% 96% 110% 96% 114% 100% 129% 88% 86% 153% 129% 116% 112% 107% 88% 86% 178% 139% 126% 117% 113% 89% 84% 201% 154% 135% 125% 121% 107% 104% 138% 90% 82% 222% 168% 148% 133% 128%

Renewable Fuels Standard

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Conventional Biofuels Biodiesel Cellulosic Biofuels Additional Advanced Biofuels

USDA’s Initiative

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Bioenergy

This AFRI Challenge Area focuses on the priority to secure America's energy future. It supports the development of regional systems for the sustainable production of bioenergy and biobased products that contribute significantly to reducing dependence on foreign oil, have net positive social, environmental, and rural economic impacts, and are compatible with existing agricultural systems. The long-term outcome for this program is to implement regional systems that materially deliver liquid transportation biofuels to help meet the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 goal of 36 billion gallons/year of biofuels by 2022 and reduce the National dependence on foreign oil.

Midwest Sustainable Biofuel Vision

Create a regional system for producing advanced transportation fuels derived from perennial grasses grown on land that is either unsuitable or marginal for row crop production.

Improve the sustainability of existing cropping systems by reducing agricultural runoff of nutrients and soil and increasing carbon sequestration.

The Grand Vision

Key Feature: Distributed Processing

Target: Land Least Suitable for Corn/Soybean Production

Sources: NRCS, Purdue University, and Iowa State University

Pyrolysis Processing

Rapid thermal decomposition of organic compounds in the absence of oxygen to predominately produce liquid product known as bio-oil.

Biochar Co-product biochar is produced at yields of 12-20 wt% biomass.

Fast pyrolysis can be built at small scales suitable for distributed processing.

Bio-oil is refined like petroleum into synthetic gasoline and biodiesel.

CenUSA Program Areas

• Feedstock Development • Sustainable Production Systems • Feedstock Logistics • System Performance • Feedstock Conversion • Markets and Distribution • Health and Safety • Education • Extension and Outreach

CenUSA Team

Led by ISU Agronomy professor Ken Moore Researchers from Iowa State University, Purdue University, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, University of Wisconsin, University of Vermont, Idaho National Laboratory and USDA Agricultural Research Service offices in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Iowa

Feedstock Development

Goal:

to develop improved perennial grass cultivars and hybrids that can be used on marginal cropland in the Central US for the production of biomass for bioenergy Switchgrass Big bluestem Indiangrass Ken Vogel (USDA-ARS, UNL) and Mike Casler (USDA-ARS, UWM)

Sustainable Production Systems

Goal:

to conduct comparative analyses of the productivity potential and the environmental impacts of promising bioenergy crops and management systems using a network of 14 fields strategically located across the Central US Rob Mitchell (USDA-ARS, UNL) and Jeff Volenec (Purdue)

Feedstock Logistics

Goal:

to develop systems and strategies to enable sustainable and economic harvest, transportation, and storage of feedstocks to meet the needs of industry Stuart Birrell (ISU) and Kevin Shinners (UWM)

System Performance

Goal:

to provide detailed analyses of feedstock production options to help policymakers, farmers, and the bioenergy industry make informed decisions about: which bioenergy feedstocks to grow where to produce them what environmental impacts they will have how biomass production systems are likely to respond to and contribute to climate change or other environmental shifts Jason Hill (UMN) and Cathy Kling (ISU)

Feedstock Conversion

Goal:

to perform a detailed economic analysis on the performance of a refinery based on pyrolytic processing of biomass into liquid fuels and provide biochar to other researchers on the project Robert Brown (ISU)

Markets and Distribution

Goals:

1) 2) study farm level adoption decisions, exploring the effectiveness of policy, market and contract mechanisms that facilitate broad scale voluntary adoption by farmers evaluate impacts of expanded advanced biofuel system on regional and global food, feed, energy and fiber markets Keri Jacobs and Dermot Hayes (ISU)

Health and Safety

Goals:

1) 2) conduct a detailed analysis of all tasks associated with biofeedstock production for hazard targets of personnel, equipment, environment, downtime, and product determine potentially hazardous respiratory exposure limits associated with the production of biofeedstocks Charles Schwab and Mark Hanna (ISU)

Education

Goal:

Provide rich interdisciplinary training and engagement opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in all areas of the bioenergy value chain to meet the workforce challenges of the bioeconomy Raj Raman (ISU) and Pat Murphy (Purdue)

Extension/Outreach

Goal:

to deliver science-based information and informal educational programs for agricultural producers, general public, and youth audiences regarding perennial grass and biochar agriculture and biofuel production Jill Euken (ISU) and Deana Covert (UNL)

Advisory Committee Members

Name Tom Binder (Chair) Albert Bennett Sarah Alexander Scott Rempe Jerry Kaiser Denny Harding Jeremy Unruh Tim McCoy David Stock TBD Position SVP, Research, Archer Daniels Midlands (ADM) Sr. Engineer and Scientist, ICM Director, Sustainability and Leadership Programs, The Keystone Center Biofuels Research Engineer, Vermeer Plant Materials Specialist, USDA NRCS Plant Material Center, MO-IA-IL Bioeconomy Manager, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Manager, Biorenewables/Energy, John Deere Agriculture Program Leader, NE Game and Parks President, Stock Seed Farms 2 cooperating producers (Extension/Outreach) Expertise/Role Bioprocessing Biorefinery engineering Agricultural stakeholders Ag equipment manufacturing Seed supply industry Agricultural producers Ag equipment manufacturing Fish and wildlife Seed supply industry Agricultural producers

The Grand Vision

Thank you for your time and attention.

Any questions?

For more information, see www.cenusa.iastate.edu