Bioenergy at the MU Bradford
Research and Extension Center
Utilize Alternative Forms of Energy


Use ground heat to
keep the pesticide
storage area above
freezing in the
winter and cool in
the summer.
Also air exchanges
of 6 times per hour


Aren’t all
Greenhouses Solar?
Yes, but a Passive
Solar Greenhouse
does not use an
artificial heat source

Instead water,
concrete, or some
other heat holding
material


Black 55 gallon
Barrels filled with
water
Rule of Thumb-2.5
gallons/ ft2 of
glazing for season
extension or 5
gallons/ft2 for all
season
Temperature
100
80
60
40
20
0
1
3
5
7
9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55
Julian Day of the Year
GH Low
Water High
Water Low

South Hip Wall
Plastic being able to
be rolled up and
down
Allow for cooling in
the warmer weather
 Can be raised or
lowered each day
 Sealed down during
the winter.

30 X 40 FT
GREENHOUSE
CORN STOVE

How Much Corn Do You Use?


In a insulated house on a cold day about 1
bushel/day
On a cold night in the greenhouse about 5-6 bushels
 A 30 x 96 greenhouse uses about 200 gallons of propane
per night when it is 15 degrees F



Stainless Steel
Pallet Burner
Saves 9,000 gallons
of Propane each year

Solar and Wind
Combination

10 kWatt System
 700 kwatt/month

$75,000


Payback –probably
not
Educational Value

Wind Anemometer
Project with DNR

Measure the wind
quality at 66 ft for one
year


Building a Machine to
compress switchgrass
and corn stover into
pellets.
Test Fired in our
outside


Corn-1/3 Ethanol, 1/3 Distillers Grain, 1/3
CO2
Cellulosic Ethanol or Pelleting-100% Fuel

No animal feed




A monoculture of a
grass will be essentially
a desert for wildlife
Livestock?
Cost is driven up by N
fertilizer
What if we had a mixed
stand?


Minnesota Study
Published in Science
(Tillman et. al., 2006)
Found More Biomass
and Biofuel Potential
When As The
Diversity Increased
Use of Natives?


Use of Native
Legumes for a N
source
Also Provide
Flexibility for
Livestock

At MU Bradford
Research and Extension
Center

Low Input/High
Diverse compared to a
High
Input/Monoculture
 18 different forbs and
legumes
 Switchgrass and Big
Bluestem
 Cutting Height
 Seasonal Harvests
Depending on Need
Replicate 1
Replicate 2
Replicate 3
Cutting Date
Cutting Date
Cutting Date
May
July
October
May
July
October
May
July
Type of Grass Mix
Monoculture
Switchgrass
20% Legume
80% Switchgrass
40% Legume
60% Switchgrass
80% Legume
20% Switchgrass
Cut Height
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
12"
6"
Type of Grass Mix
Monoculture
Big Bluestem
20% Legume
80% Big Bluestem
40% Legume
60% Big Bluestem
80% Legume
20% Big Bluestem
Cut Height
Total Width = 480' (144 m)


Compare different
crops for their
ethanol production
capibilities.
Native Warm
Season Grasses,
Miscanthus, Corn
for grain and stover









Miscanthus
Switchgrass
Big Bluestem
Indiangrass
Sweet Sorghum
Continuous CornGrain
Continuous CornGrain and Stover
Corn/Soybean
rotation for Grain
Tall Fescue as a
control


Look at Economics
Look at Soil
Properties

If remove large
amount of biomass
what is that going to
do to soil properties

Grasses for Ethanol


Grains and Sugar Crops
for Ethanol


Switchgrass, Indiangrass,
Eastern Gamma, Big
Bluestem, Miscanthus
Corn, Grain Sorghum,
Sweet Sorghum, Sugar
Cane, Sugar Beets
Oil Crops

Soybeans, Canola, and
Sunflower

Felix Fritschi


Bill Wiebold
Sweet Sorghum

 Varieties

 N timing
Corn Stover removal
Cover crops