Approximately 30 tons of miscanthus provided by Croatian oil and gas company INA was tested with funding from the Growing Advanced Industrial Crops on Marginal Land for Biorefineries (GRACE) project -- of which INA is a consortium member. GRACE is supported by the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
The project aims to optimize various miscanthus grass value chains in order to produce sustainable products and to develop miscanthus as a sustainable feedstock resource for cultivation on marginal, contaminated and abandoned land.
Clariant tested miscanthus as a feedstock for the production of lignocellulose sugars and ethanol.
(Source: Clariant, Business Standard, 3 Sept., 2019) Contact: Clariant, Markus Rarbach, Biofuels and Derivatives, Clariant, Markus Rarbach, Hariolf Kottmann, CEO, +41 61 469 5111, www.clariant.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Clariant, Miscanthus, Ethanol, Biofuel,
The regulatory board cited the "potential negative impacts on the environment and the inadequacy of the indigenous biomass supply and high dependence on imported biomass that would be contrary to both EU and national climate and energy policy" for its refusal. The regulatory board also noted previous schemes to establish a domestic source of energy crops such as willow and miscanthus have failed.
The Irish government's national climate and energy policy calls for a complete phase out of coal and peat fired electricity generation by 2030.
(Source: An Bord Pleanala, Green New.ie, 23 July, 2019)Contact: An Bord Pleanala, www.pleanala.ie; Bord na Mona Plc, Mike Quinn, CEO, Patrick Madigan, Bioenergy Division, +353 45 439000, www.bordnamona.ie
More Low-Carbon Energy News Bord na Mona, Peat, Woody Biomass, Biomass Pellet,
Many biorefineries consume one, or sometimes two, feedstocks grown and harvested nearby. The feedstock contains lignocellulose. That chemical is processed and fermented into biofuels or bioproducts. Accepting a variety of feedstocks could improve the refinery's environmental footprint, economics, and logistics. The team's study showed that a lignocellulosic refinery could be relatively agnostic in terms of the feedstocks used.
Refineries to convert biomass into fuels often rely on just one feedstock. If the refineries could accept more than one feedstock, it would greatly benefit refinery operation. Scientists investigated how five different feedstocks affected process and field-scale ethanol yields. Two annual crops (corn stover and energy sorghum) and three perennial crops (switchgrass, miscanthus, and restored prairie) were pretreated using ammonia fiber expansion, hydrolyzed, and fermented separately using yeast or bacteria.
Researchers found that both biomass quality and biomass yield affected the amount of ethanol each acre produces. However, the effect differed. Biomass quality was the main driver for the ethanol yields for high-yielding crops, such as switchgrass. Biomass yield was the main driver for the ethanol yields for low-productivity crops, such as corn stover. Therefore, to increase ethanol yield for high-yielding crops, focusing efforts on improving biomass quality or conversion efficiency may be prudent.
For low-yielding crops, focusing on increasing biomass yield may be the best strategy. When measuring the amount of ethanol produced during fermentation, most feedstocks fell within a similar range, especially when scientists used bacteria to ferment the biomass. In total, the results of this study suggest that a lignocellulosic refinery may use a variety of feedstocks with a range of quality without a major negative impact on field-scale ethanol yields. (Source: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, US DOE, 12 Nov., 2018) Contact: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Tim Donohue, Dir., John Greenler, Dir. Outreach, (608) 890-2444, www.glbrc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, US DOE, Biofuel Feedstock, ,
The research found biomass feedstock quality was the main driver for the ethanol yields for high-yielding crops such as switchgrass. Biomass yield was the main driver for ethanol yields from low productivity crops such as corn stover. The re[prt concluded that to increase ethanol yield from high-yielding crops, focusing efforts on improving biomass quality or conversion efficiency "may be prudent."
For low yielding crops, focusing on increasing biomass yield may be the best strategy. When measuring the amount of ethanol produced during fermentation, most feedstocks fell within a similar range, especially when scientists used bacteria to ferment the biomass.
In total, the study suggests that a lignocellulosic refinery can use a variety of feedstocks of varying qualities without a major negative impact on field-scale ethanol yields.
(Source: Great Lakes Bioenergy Science Center, US DOE, Nov., 2018)
Contact: Great Lakes Bioenergy Science Center, Tim Donohue, Dir., (608) 262-4663, tdonohue@bact.wisc.edu, www.glbrc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Great Lakes Bioenergy Science Center, Ethanol, Ethanol Feedstock, Switchgrass, Miscanthus, Cellulosic,
The new research project Renewable Oil Generated with Ultra-productive Energycane (ROGUE) will engineer energycane, a bioenergy crop derived from sugarcane, and Miscanthus to produce the oil for the production of biodiesel and biojet fuel. Their work is guided by computer models, which project that these crops can achieve 20 pct oil content in the plant -- a dramatic increase from natural levels of less than a tenth of one percent.
Previous work, funded by the DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), achieved 8 pct oil accumulation, and now ROGUE will further increase oil production and target oil accumulation in the stem where it can be accessed more easily with ROGUE's patented extraction technologies.
ROGUE will also improve the efficiency that these crops can turn the sun's energy into plant energy to fuel their biological oil production. Improving these crops' photosynthetic efficiency will ensure that the production of energy-dense oil will not lower yields or suppress plant defenses.
ROGUE is a collaboration amongst researchers from Illinois as well as Brookhaven National Lab, University of Florida, and Mississippi State University, with support from the DOE Office of Science (Office of Biological and Environmental Research).
(Source: US DOE, University of Illinois, Feb., 2018)Contact: Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign,
Stephen Long, ROGUE Director, (217) 244-2999, www.igb.illinois.edu
More Low-Carbon Energy News Biodiesel Feedstock, US DOE, Energycane, Miscanthus , University of Illinois,
GLBRC originally focused on corn stover ethanol production and developing perennial plants like switchgrass and miscanthus as biofuel feedstocks. Now, GLBRC goal is centered on designing advanced biofuels, such as isobutanol. These "drop-in" fuels could be used to replace gasoline without engine modification. By engineering bioenergy crops to enhance their environmental and economic value, and conducting research to generate multiple products from plant biomass, these advancements could optimize the bioenergy field-to-product pipeline.
GLBRC scientists and engineers are also improving the yield and processing traits of dedicated bioenergy crops for cultivation on marginal, or non-agricultural, land. With smart management, these crops have the potential to benefit the ecosystem, help mitigate climate change, and provide farmers with an additional source of revenue.
GLBRC is focused on enabling a new and different biorefinery, one that is both economically viable and environmentally sustainable. Realizing this goal will mean increasing the efficiency of biomass conversion and generating a mix of specialty biofuels and environmentally-friendly bioproducts, from as much of a plant's biomass as possible. One such discovery, breaks down lignin's six-carbon rings -- the "aromatics" -- into individual components. Traditionally sourced from petroleum, aromatics are used in a wide variety of products, including plastic soda bottles, Kevlar, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, and are essential components of jet fuel.
(Source: University of Wisconsin Madison, GLBRC, PR, 18 Feb., 2018) Contact: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Tim Donohue, Dir., John Greenler, Dir. Outreach, (608) 890-2444, www.glbrc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin Madison, Biofuel, Biochemical, Ethanol, Bioplastics,
Analysis of up to seven years of production data suggests an estimated billon-tpy could be available annually by 2030.
Field trial results and yield projections for herbaceous crops, including switchgrass, energycane, mixed perennial grasses on Conservation Reserve Program land, giant miscanthus and sorghum, as well as the woody feedstocks poplar and shrub willow, are available online in the January issue of GCB Bioenergy.
The raw data from the field trials will be available for public use and can be accessed at Knowledge Discovery Framework at the U.S. DOE website. Among the herbaceous energy crops, field-scale trials using traditional agricultural equipment were conducted for switchgrass and mixed perennial grasses suitable for use on CRP land, while smaller individual plots were utilized for energycane and giant miscanthus due to a lack of vegetative planting materials for these species.
South Dakota State University was the lead institution for the more than $20 million project which was funded by the U.S. DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and involved researchers from the U.S. DOE and USDA, 35 land-grant universities, Heidelberg University, INL, ORNL, ANL and several industry partners.
Report details are HERE
(Source: South Dakota State University, Jan., 2018)
Contact: South Dakota State Univ. North Central Regional Sun Grant Center, Vance Owens, Dir., (605) 688-5476, www.sdstate.edu/north-central-regional-sun-grant-center
More Low-Carbon Energy News Biofuel Feedstock,
Burning 1 acre of Miscanthus can offset 4 tons of coal in a power plant and a field of the grass can grow for a decade or more without replanting. Miscanthus can tolerate Iowa winters and can't produce seeds, so it won't invade neighboring fields, according to the university's renewable energy business development manager, Erin Hazen. The university plans to generate 10 pct of its energy from Miscanthus and use biomass fuels for the other 90 pct.
Since 2015, the school has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 17 pct with Miscanthus and other biofuels, Hazen added.
(Source: University of Iowa, University Herald, 1 May, 2017) Contact: University of Iowa, Erin Hazen, Renewable Energy Bus Dev Manager, (319) 384-3414, uiowa.eduwww.uiowa.edu
More Low-Carbon Energy News Miscanthus, Bioenergy,
The project will be led by biomass specialists Forest Fuels with Uniper Technologies, the University of Sheffield's PACT facilities and the University of Leeds. The project includes construction of a prototype biomass plant pre-treat different forms of woody biomass energy feedstocks to remove impurities. The cleaned feedstocks will then be blended and combustion tested at the University of Sheffield's pilot scale Advanced Capture Technology Facilities, with support from the University's Energy 2050 Institute. The ash produced during combustion testing will then be examined by The University of Leeds. Biomass fuels, including waste wood, arboricultural and forestry residues and purpose-grown biomass feedstocks such as miscanthus, will be included in the research study which could lead to lower environmental and operating costs for power producers.
The ETI is a public-private partnership between global energy and engineering companies and the UK Government.
ETI act as a conduit between academia, industry and the government to accelerate the development of low-carbon technologies.
(Source: Energy Technologies Institute, Renewable Energy, 29 Mar., 2017) Contact: Energy Technologies Institute, +44 (0) 1509 202020, info@eti.co.uk, www.eti.co.uk
More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass, Energy Technologies Institute , Biomass, Bioenergy,