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Introduction
Washington state’s Renewable Fuel Standard was established in 2006 and designed to increase biofuel use in the state. The standard would require that 2 percent of the fuel purchased in the state by Dec. 1, 2008, be biodiesel and ethanol. More recently, the Washington State Biofuels Advisory Committee recommended to the Director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture to implement the 2 percent standard. The use of biodiesel ramps up to 5 percent for biodiesel and 10 percent for ethanol and is to be produced primarily from agricultural crops grown in the state. Growers have considerable experience in growing wheat, barley and corn that can be used for ethanol production. Washington state’s corn production in 2007 alone could support the 2 percent ethanol requirement. However, growers' experience with oil seed crops for producing biodiesel is limited. Oil seed crops have generally not been profitable when grown under irrigated conditions. Columbia Basin College research plans include testing various oil seed crops to determine if they would fit into a profitable enterprise budget for irrigated growers in the Columbia Basin.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s biofuels initiative calls for reducing America's dependence on foreign oil by meeting the following targets:
- Make cellulosic ethanol (or ethanol from non-grain biomass resources) cost competitive with gasoline by 2012.
- Replace 30 percent of current levels of gasoline consumption with biofuels by 2030 (or 30x30).
In order to accomplish these goals, there will be a need of a billion tons of biomass that can be processed into ethanol. Because growers in the Columbia Basin have the knowledge base and the equipment for growing forage crops, the development of adapted feed stocks for ethanol production is a primary research goal at CBC. The research includes the development of alfalfa and switchgrass varieties for yield and adaptability in the Columbia Basin as well as research on giant miscanthus which is an ornamental grass that grows up to 15 feet and can produce considerable biomass under irrigation.
Oilseed Crops
Research on oilseed crops at CBC is limited to testing potential crops for economic yield under irrigated conditions. In 2006, yield tests were conducted on soybean and sunflower. Sunflower results indicated that yields were not high enough to justify production under irrigation at current crop prices. On the other hand, late planted soybean varieties yielded about 75 bushels. This prompted further testing of soybean along with safflower and peanut in 2007. The best yielding safflower variety did not show promise as an oil seed crop under irrigated conditions. Although peanuts showed some promise, the crop may be more valuable as a food crop. However, the highest yielding soybean variety yielded about 85 bushels per acre. At 2007 prices of $12 per bushel, it was competitive with corn production. In addition, soybean requires no nitrogen fertilizer which is produced from fossil fuels. The cost savings for nitrogen would be about $150 per acre. In addition, research has shown that soybeans leave about 70 pounds of nitrogen in the ground for the next rotational crop. Future research on oil seed crops for CBC will be limited to soybean production. Plans include large plot strip tests and tests for potential double cropping soybean with wheat.
Biomass Crops
The need for a billion tons of biomass to produce enough biofuel to replace 30 percent of USA petroleum consumption has been reported by the United States Department of Energy. The high biomass yield of alfalfa in the state of Washington along with its perennial nature and ability to produce its own nitrogen provides considerable potential for the crop as a feedstock for the production of ethanol.
Switchgrass has been identified by the DOE as a primary crop for development because of its potential for high fuel yields and its ability to grow on marginal cropland without intensive management. Breeding efforts for biomass production in the western part of the United States for both switchgrass and alfalfa have been non-existent. Better adapted varieties are needed to meet the need of Washington’s growers for economically producing products for cellulosic ethanol production.
Giant miscanthus (miscanthus x giganteus) is a tall perennial grass that is being grown experimentally in numerous European countries. It can be burned directly or with coal for the generation of electricity and used as a fuel for direct heating of homes and businesses. Miscanthus could be the primary feedstock for that industry.
About one-third of the harvested irrigated acres in the Columbia Basin are made up of forage crops with the majority in alfalfa. There are about 500,000 acres of alfalfa in Washington of which more than 75 percent of the production is in the Columbia Basin. In the state of Washington, there are about 1.5 million acres of land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), almost 5 million acres in pasture or rangeland and another 2.5 million in summer fallow or idled. Much of that land could be used for the production of switchgrass or another suitable grass for biomass production. If all the corn and soybean grown in the United States were dedicated to producing biofuels, they would meet just 12 percent of the nation’s demand for gasoline according to Kate VanderBosch, professor of plant biology at the University of Minnesota. However, cellulosic ethanol could displace at least 30 percent of the nation’s petroleum consumption by 2030. Brazil has made ethanol from switchgrass which is more efficient than corn and Iogen Corp., in Ottawa, Canada is the first business to commercially sell cellulosic ethanol. ZeaChem is in the planning stages of building a $50 million cellulosic ethanol plant at the Port of Morrow in Oregon.
Progress is being made toward producing cellulosic ethanol. CBC is developing a program to conduct multi-year research for the development of high biomass alfalfa and switchgrass varieties for cellulosic ethanol production. In addition, CBC plans to work in the development and testing of miscanthus as a feedstock for ethanol production.
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), because of its high biomass production, perennial nature, its symbiotic relationship with specific bacteria for producing its own nitrogen and valuable co-products, has the potential of being a leading crop in the production of cellulosic ethanol. More alfalfa acres for biofuel production would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect water quality and improve our soils as a resource. Most importantly, it would contribute to making the United States more energy independent. In the Columbia Basin, it is not uncommon to obtain yields of alfalfa above 10 tons per acre which are the highest yields in Northern latitudes in the United States. When alfalfa is grown strictly for biomass with two to three cuts rather than four to five as compared to standard practices for producing dairy hay, total yield of alfalfa can increase as much as 42 percent and potential ethanol yield from stems doubles.
To maximize energy yield by reducing transportation costs, cellulosic biomass production and processing from alfalfa will need to be local. The fit is natural for the Columbia Basin when considering the high yield production by local growers. When located within 15 miles from a processing facility, the efficiency of energy production by alfalfa is two to three times that of corn grain or soybeans.
Although the USDA/ARS at the University of Minnesota is breeding alfalfa for ethanol production, the Midwest environment is much different from that of the Pacific Northwest. Yield potential is half of what it is in the Columbia Basin and it is grown under non-irrigated conditions. An alfalfa designed to fit a two or three cut system in the Columbia Basin will need to have large strong stems to avoid lodging under sprinkler irrigation and will need to have resistance to a number of pests that are not a problem in the mid-west. CBC has begun an alfalfa breeding program for both standard varieties for dairy forage and germplasm for biomass types. One advanced variety was harvested for foundation seed production in 2007 while breeder seed was produced on eight more experimental varieties. Selections for non-lodging and biomass yield were made in the field and crossed in the greenhouse. Seven thousand progeny from this cross were planted in a spaced plant nursery. Selections for tall, upright growth habit suitable for infrequent cutting management were made from the nursery and are being crossed for potential new varieties targeted as feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production. Alfalfa varieties for the Columbia Basin, regardless of their use, will be selected for resistance to blue aphid, clover root curculio, Verticillium wilt, stem nematode and root knot nematode to enhance persistence.
Switchgrass
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a perennial native grass adapted to the prairies of North America. The Department of Energy identified switchgrass as a primary species for development as an energy crop. It has the ability to grow well on marginal cropland without heavy fertilization or intensive management and has a potential for high fuel yields. A recent review of the initial DOE program to evaluate and develop switchgrass as a bio-energy crop has shown its potential as an alternative to corn for ethanol production. The program developed a research base for improvement of switchgrass through breeding. Yield gains for switchgrass were found to exceed that of corn. In addition, the energy ratio is more favorable for switchgrass than for corn. Although switchgrass has been grown for seed in the Pacific Northwest, breeding efforts for biomass production have been limited to the central and eastern parts of the United States. Yield gains through breeding in Washington could be even more significant since there has not been a breeding program for the grass in the West. Breeding research is currently underway at CBC to develop adapted, high-yielding switchgrass experimental cultivars for the Columbia Basin. Five thousand switchgrass plants from four high yielding germplasm were started in the greenhouse and transplanted to the field in 2007. Because the genetics of switchgrass are such that the phenotype of the parent plant is not a good indicator of the genotype, a progeny row experiment is planned for the selection of high biomass parents for the development of a suitable high yielding adapted variety. Upland and lowland types were observed in the field in 2007. Results showed that the lowland types were variable but higher yielding. Therefore, we will focus on breeding lowland types for Washington’s environment. Because of its dry conditions during seed maturation, eastern Washington is known for its excellent production of vegetable, legume and grass seeds. If switchgrass becomes the grass of choice for cellulosic ethanol production, the Columbia Basin would be perfect area for producing seed. Research in methods of seed production for switchgrass is needed to capture that potential.
Miscanthus
Giant miscanthus (miscanthus x giganteus) is a tall perennial grass that reproduces by underground rhizomes and has been evaluated in Europe during the past 10 years as a bioenergy crop. Miscanthus stems may be used as fuel for production of heat and electric power and as a feedstock for the production of cellulosic ethanol. Since the plant can grow taller than 14 feet, it is speculated that 10 to 15 tons of dry matter could be harvested in one harvest in the fall, winter or early spring after dry down.
In the United States, the University of Illinois has been researching miscanthus for about five years. The reasons for their interest are:
- Greater yields than switchgrass
- Sterile and propagated by rhizomes
- Low maintenance, perennial grass
- Long-life expectancy
- Hardy
- Nitrogen and other nutrients are moved into the rhizomes during the growing season for next year’s growth
- 80 to 120 gallons of ethanol per ton of dry matter
- Energy ratio of input to output is expected to be less than 0.2
- Heat and power generation in Europe for more than two decades
- Yields obtained in the U of I trials indicate that growing Miscanthus in 10 percent of Illinois farmland would provide sufficient fuel to produce 50 percent of the state's electricity needs, and significantly reduce carbon and sulfur dioxide emissions into the air
In 2007, CBC acquired a single plant of giant miscanthus from Minnesota. The rhizomes were split to produce more than 100 plants in the greenhouse and planted in the field. Plants will be harvested this winter to produce enough rhizomes to establish a nursery in the spring of 2008. CBC plans to establish a large field test to evaluate the potential of miscanthus to utilize potato waste water. The experiment would require the cooperation of the Port of Pasco, Lamb Weston and CBC. A possible future collaboration would be with a cellulosic ethanol producer such as the planned cellulosic plant slated to be built at the Port of Morrow by ZeaChem. CBC sent samples of selected alfalfa, miscanthus and switchgrass materials to ZeaChem in November of 2007 for evaluation as a cellulosic ethanol feedstock under their system of production. Their plan to build the $50 million facility is based on the production system which utilizes an enzyme that has been isolated from termites. Their goal is to produce 150 gallons of ethanol from each ton of dry matter.
Research Facilities
Agriculture Research and Development Farm and Greenhouse
CBC has an 18 acre research farm where the above experiments are being conducted. The field trials on the farm are supplemented by research in the greenhouse and in a dry laboratory.
Science and Technology Center
CBC has partnered with RJ Lee Labs to operate the Center for Laboratory Sciences. The center will be operated by RJ Lee Group scientists and offer educational and employment opportunities for students.
Research Publications
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For questions or comments about this page, please contact
Kerrin Molton, Agriculture Instructor, 509-542-4785
