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)
Source: EIA for history, NYMEX for future
Jan-20
Jan-18
Jan-16
Jan-14
Jan-12
Jan-10
Jan-08
Jan-06
Jan-04
Jan-02
Jan-00
Jan-98
Jan-96
Jan-94
Jan-92
Jan-90
Jan-88
Jan-86
$ per barrel
Oil140Prices
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Population
2011
2030
2050
(billion)
(billion)
(billion)
World
6.946
World
8.323
World
9.441
China
1.337
India
1.461
India
1.657
India
1.189
China
1.391
China
1.304
U.S.
0.311
U.S.
0.366
U.S.
0.423
Indonesia
0.246
Indonesia
0.289
Nigeria
0.402
Brazil
0.203
Nigeria
0.264
Indonesia
0.313
Pakistan
0.187
Pakistan
0.243
Pakistan
0.291
Nigeria
0.166
Brazil
0.240
Ethiopia
0.278
Bangladesh
0.159
Bangladesh
0.211
Brazil
0.261
Russia
0.139
Ethiopia
0.162
Bangladesh
0.250
Japan
0.127
Philippines
0.138
Philippines
0.172
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, International Data Base
Liquid Fuel Usage
2007
2015
(Million Barrels Oil
Equivalent per Day)
2020
2025
2030
2035
(Percent of 2007 Value)
United States
20.6
98%
100%
102%
104%
107%
Canada
2.3
96%
96%
96%
100%
104%
Mexico
2.1
105%
110%
114%
129%
138%
Europe
15.3
92%
88%
88%
89%
90%
Japan
5.0
84%
86%
86%
84%
82%
China
7.6
132%
153%
178%
201%
222%
India
2.8
114%
129%
139%
154%
168%
Africa
3.1
113%
116%
126%
135%
148%
Central and South America
6.0
110%
112%
117%
125%
133%
World
86.1
103%
107%
113%
121%
128%
Source: Energy Information Administration
Renewable Fuels Standard
40
35
25
20
15
10
5
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
0
2009
Billion Gallons
30
Conventional Biofuels
Cellulosic Biofuels
Biodiesel
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
Fast pyrolysis can be built at small
scales suitable for distributed
processing.
Co-product biochar
is produced at yields
of 12-20 wt%
biomass.
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) study farm level adoption decisions, exploring the
effectiveness of policy, market and contract mechanisms
that facilitate broad scale voluntary adoption by farmers
2) 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) conduct a detailed analysis of all tasks associated with
biofeedstock production for hazard targets of personnel,
equipment, environment, downtime, and product
2) 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
Position
Expertise/Role
Tom Binder (Chair)
SVP, Research, Archer Daniels Midlands (ADM)
Bioprocessing
Albert Bennett
Sr. Engineer and Scientist, ICM
Biorefinery engineering
Sarah Alexander
Director, Sustainability and Leadership
Programs, The Keystone Center
Agricultural stakeholders
Scott Rempe
Biofuels Research Engineer, Vermeer
Ag equipment manufacturing
Jerry Kaiser
Plant Materials Specialist, USDA NRCS Plant
Material Center, MO-IA-IL
Seed supply industry
Denny Harding
Bioeconomy Manager, Iowa Farm Bureau
Federation
Agricultural producers
Jeremy Unruh
Manager, Biorenewables/Energy, John Deere
Ag equipment manufacturing
Tim McCoy
Agriculture Program Leader, NE Game and Parks
Fish and wildlife
David Stock
President, Stock Seed Farms
Seed supply industry
Ben Steffen
Agricultural Producer, Nebraska
Agricultural producer
John Weis
Agricultural Producer, Minnesota
Agricultural producer
The
Grand
Vision
Thank you for your time and attention.
Any questions?
For more information, see
www.cenusa.iastate.edu