Project will explore using sawdust and waste coal to generate electricity in Eastern Kentucky

A new partnership based at the University of Kentucky is trying to turn waste from Eastern Kentucky industries -- sawdust and coal fines -- into a source of power for Hazard and Perry County. The UK Center for Applied Energy Research received a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the technology, which could serve as a model for other energy projects in Central Appalachia that have active lumber and coal industries, Dave Melanson reports for UKNow.

China's Beijing Baota Sanju Energy Science and Technology Co. Ltd. will collaborate with CAER to create a preliminary design for the 5-megawatt gasifier, which will use sawdust from Gay Brothers Lumber in Hazard and coal fines from Blackhawk Mining. The test location will be at the Coal Fields Regional Industrial Park in Hazard.

The project is called Gasification Combined Heat and Power from Coal Fines, and 20 percent of its funding will come from the UK Research Foundation, Arq Coal Technologies LLC, and Beijing Baota Sanju.

Jack Groppo, a faculty member in the UK Department of Mining Engineering and a principal research engineer at CAER who is working on the project, told Melanson that he thinks localized power generation would work well in rural Kentucky, and that "We have a tremendous amount of coal fines left over throughout Kentucky coal fields as well as a strong, vibrant lumber industry that has industrial waste as well. This project will allow us to combine those two products to create fuel that will help power rural Kentucky communities for years to come."

Minnesota power plant that partially runs on turkey feces faces closure

Benson Power plant (MPR photo by Tim Post)

A Benson, Minn. power plant that burns turkey feces and wood chips to generate steam that powers the plant’s turbines could close by the summer of 2018, Reed Anifson reports for the Swift County Monitor-News. Employees of Benson Power, LLC were told Tuesday that owners were in negotiations with Xcel Energy for sale of the plant. "If the sale goes through, Xcel Energy would seek regulatory permission from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to decommission the plant and close it." The plant, the first of its kind in the U.S., has 45 employees.

"Xcel Energy would explain to the PUC that it wants to close the plant to save its customers a substantial amount of money by reducing the cost of energy it purchases," Anifson writes. "Biomass power can be as much as 10 times more expensive than natural gas. Its other sources of green power, solar and wind, are far cheaper and are becoming an increasing segment of Xcel Energy’s portfolio."

The plant, launched in 2006, "gave area turkey farmers a new market for manure and created work for truckers who deliver some 500,000 tons of biomass to the plant annually," Elizabeth Dunbar reports for Minnesota Public Radio. Anfinson, who also serves on the city's economic development authority, said "the plant accounts for a quarter of the city's current property tax revenues."

EPA releases 2017 Renewable Fuel Standards for biofuels; farm groups mostly support regulations

The Environmental Protection Agency says it "has finalized the volume requirements and associated percentage standards under the Renewable Fuel Standards program for calendar year 2017 for cellulosic biofuel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel, and biomass-based diesel for 2018."

Farm and Dairy reports, "Non-advanced or 'conventional' renewable fuel will increase in 2017, meeting the 15 billion-gallon congressional target for conventional fuels. The advanced biofuel standard—comprised of biomass-based diesel, cellulosic biofuel, and other biofuel—increases 19 percent over the 2016 standard. The total renewable fuel volume will grow 1.2 billion gallons from 2016 to 2017, a 6 percent increase."

Farm groups indicated support for the standards. The National Farmers Union said: "We are appreciative that EPA has raised the RFS volume obligations from their initial proposal to meet the 15 billion volume obligations set by Congress. Today’s action shows a clear commitment to achieving the environmental benefits inherent in conventional ethanol and to protecting the future of advanced biofuels in the market."

Wesley Spurlock, a Texas farmer and National Corn Growers Association president, "said the decision was a step in the right direction," reports Farm and Dairy. The American Soybean Association "said the increases are encouraging, but said there is more opportunity," saying they "would still like to see additional support and promotion of domestically produced biodiesel, through higher volumes for the biomass-based diesel category."

Renewable energy market shifts from biomass to solar, pinching Calif. farmers and biomass plants

Biomass waste is deposited at a waste-to-
energy plant. (Photo by Geoffrey Mohan)

As California almond growers bulldoze orchards due to drought, plants that make electricity from waste biomass "are folding in rapid succession, unable to compete with heavily subsidized solar farms, many of which have sprouted up amid the fields and orchards of the San Joaquin Valley," reports Geoffrey Mohan of the Los Angeles Times.

Almond processor and grower Paul Parreira "is running out of dirt roads where he can spread ground-up almond shells, even as he expands a one-megawatt solar array on six acres of his family's property in Los Banos," Mohan writes. "The waste-to-energy facilities where Parreira used to send about 50,000 tons of shells per year are vanishing. Six have closed in just two years, the latest in Delano, which shut down Thursday, after San Diego Gas & Electric ended its power-purchase agreement."

California had about 60 biomass plants in the 1980s, but hit the skids with deregulation of the state's energy grid, cheaper natural gas and expiration of long-term contracts and a state subsidy. The industry is now down to 25 plants, and seeking help from lawmakers in Sacramento.

The vanishing market for biomass waste may mean more open burning of it in the valley, which is allowed "if farmers do not have an economically feasible alternative," Executive Director Seyed Sadredin told the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District board last month. (Read more)

Small biomass power plants on farms are feasible, could help rural economies, study finds

Researchers at the University of Missouri say they have discovered a cost-effective way for farmers to harness bioenergy, a move that could greatly benefit rural economies, Claire Boston reports for Columbia (Mo.) Business. The study, published in the April edition of Biomass and Bioenergy, found that "creating a power grid from a group of small biomass power plants in rural areas could decrease farmers’ electric bills and relieve the national power grid."

The study's author Tom Johnson, an agricultural economics professor at Missouri, told Boston, "Transporting power through power lines to remote, rural areas is very inefficient and can be expensive for farmers and other rural citizens. If (farmers) had access to small biomass power plants, they could become close to self-sustaining in terms of power.”

Biomass power plants would be a cost-effective way of producing power because farmers have plenty of biomass left over after each harvest season, Boston writes. "With an improved grid, the small power plants could even provide power to people outside each farm, which could stimulate rural economies." (Read more) The study is behind a pay wall, but can be found by clicking here.

Sign of change: Biomass plant will replace some power lost from closing of coal-fired plant in E. Ky.

Here's an emblematic sign of change in the Central Appalachian coalfield: A coal-fired power plant is closing and its owner will replace part of the electric generating capacity by purchasing more expensive power from a biomass plant in the coalfield, founded by the son of one of the region's most prominent coal operators. (NPR photo by Noah Adams: Big Sandy plant)

The Kentucky Public Service Commission last week approved a 20-year contract allowing Kentucky Power Co. to close its Big Sandy plant near Louisa and buy electricity generated by a biomass plant to be built by ecoPower, the Kentucky Press News Service reports. This change could lead to an increase in monthly bills for 173,000 customers and hurt a school system that receives nearly half a million dollars per year on tax revenue from the power plant, WYMT-TV in Hazard reports.

Kentucky law generally promotes lower-cost electricity, but a law passed by the state legislature this year allows utilities to include in their rates the cost of power from biomass plants. The chairman of ecoPower is Richard A, Sturgill, son of William B. Sturgill, a former state energy secretary who was a powerful, influential and sometimes controversial coal operator, largely due to his strip mines.

The agreement between the two power companies "promotes the inducement of an innovative energy-related business located in Kentucky that would advance the public purposes of achieving energy independence, creating new jobs and new investment and creating new sources of tax revenues," the PSC said in its order.

Kentucky Power said construction of the plant will employ 230 people for two years, and the plant will employ 30 people and create an additional 225 jobs for loggers and truckers. "The utility also argued that the ecoPower contract will spur economic development in its service territory and diversify its generation portfolio, which now relies largely on coal," the PSC said.

Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, who wants to run for governor in 2015, said he is considering legal action. His spokesperson told WYMT that "Kentucky Power did not thoroughly evaluate other options available to it, such as purchasing the power on the market from other electric utilities. Additionally the company did not conduct an economic feasibility study as the law." (Read more)

CO2-devouring algae may lessen the carbon footprint of coal-fired power plants

Coal-burning power plants may yet be the energy of the future, thanks to a carbon-dioxide-devouring algae. The University of Kentucky, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet and East Kentucky Power Cooperative are partnering to further investigate the use of algae to capture carbon dioxide from coal-fired plants and converting it to biomass, the university said in a release.

UK will place 135 interconnected tubes of algae (right) at the rural utility's Dale Station near Winchester to conduct a real-world test of the carbon dioxide reduction process. Officials hope to have 10 times as many tubes by early next year, Kelsey Sheridan of the Lexington Herald Leader reports. (H-L photo by Pablo Alcala)

The algae digest carbon dioxide and light in a process similar to photosynthesis in plants. (Read more) Once the algae has consumed the carbon dioxide, the by-product can be used to produce biodiesel, animal feed, fertilizer and chemicals. To view an explanatory video, click here.

The state agency committed nearly $1.3 million, the utility is contributing about $75,000 in in-kind and the university is providing $543,663. The research will be done by UK's Center for Applied Energy Research.

Michigan co-op would build first coal-fired power plant permitted under federal climate regulations

The state of Michigan has approved the first permit for a coal-fired power plant under the new federal regulations requiring the best available control technology for new industrial sources of air pollution. Five percent of the plant's fuel will be woody biomass, "which state officials decided would cut the plant's carbon-dioxide emissions," reports Gabriel Nelson of Environment & Energy News. "Fallen trees and other dead plants release the gas anyway if they are left to decompose." The state concluded that carbon-capture and storage technology "was not available or affordable."

The plant would use fluidized-bed technology and be built at Rogers City on Lake Huron by Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, a group of four rural electric distribution co-ops (co-op map). A Wolverine spokesman said "It will need to take a more thorough look at the permit requirements and the company's finances before it decides whether to build the plan," Nelson writes. "Because the Wolverine permit could set a precedent, it will likely be challenged in court by environmental groups that are trying to block new coal plants from being built." (Read more, subscription required)

EPA gives biomass industry three-year exemption from new greenhouse-gas regulations

In September we reported concerns from the biomass industry about possible greenhouse-gas regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency. On Wednesday EPA announced a three-year reprieve for the industry during which it would be exempt from the regulations, Gabriel Nelson of Environment & Energy News reports.

The industry "has claimed that the energy source is not contributing to climate change because it is part of a natural, carbon-neutral cycle," Nelson writes. "When new plants are grown, the argument goes, they absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide that the other plants had released when they were burned."

EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said, "We are working to find a way forward that is scientifically sound and manageable for both producers and consumers of biomass energy. In the coming years we will develop a common-sense approach that protects our environment and encourages the use of clean energy. Renewable, homegrown power sources are essential to our energy future, and an important step to cutting the pollution responsible for climate change." The decision means the agency will need to make changes to its 'tailoring' rule, which lays out which types of new facilities will need to get greenhouse gas permits under the Clean Air Act," Nelson writes. (Read more, subscription required)

Biomass emission rules could have big impact on timber industry

In June we reported an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to regulate biomass emissions like those of fossil fuels and complaints from the biomass industry that the rules would place an unfair burden on them. In Montana, the growing biomass industry is watching the proposal closely as industry executives say it could have big implications for the state's forestry industry, Phil Drake of MontanaWatchdog reports. "If the rule goes through, I think it would be an enormous (impact)," Ellen Simpson, executive vice president of the Montana Wood Products Association, told Drake. "It’s a fledgling industry and a lot of things in motion … It could be a very big economic deal for the timber industry."

In an e-mailed statement, the EPA said the agency "is committed to working with stakeholders to examine whether treating biomass-derived carbon emissions as carbon neutral is appropriate, and to assess the associated effects on the development of policies and programs that recognize the potential for biomass to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions and enhance U.S. energy security." The comment period on the proposal ends Sept. 13. "It’s a very serious issue for our folks," Simpson said. "It changes the playing field completely for anyone who wants to burn wood. The tailoring rule adds another layer. It’s a roadblock in getting something positive to happen." (Read more)

Ohio coal-fired power plant to be converted to wood-burning despite concerns

One might expect environmental groups to applaud an energy company's decision to shelve a coal-fired power plant, but that is not the case in Ohio where FirstEnergy Corp. has gained approval to convert one into a biomass wood-burning facility. In a comment-free vote Wednesday, the "Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved a 12-page order sweeping aside arguments from environmentalists and a wind industry trade group that burning trees to make power is not sustainable," John Funk of The Plain Dealer reports. The decision certifies the R. E. Burger power plant in Shadyside will be considered a renewable energy facility.

"If it is not sustainable, they are not going burn it," PUCO Chairman Alan Schriber told Funk. "Wood is renewable. That is what the law says." A coalition of environmental groups, the Ohio Consumers' Counsel and the America Wind Energy Association have protested the proposal for 18 months, saying it would lead to widespread deforestation and is not really sustainable. FirstEnergy spokeswoman Ellen Raines said the plant will be able to burn a mixture of green wood chips, wood pellets and briquettes and something very similar to charcoal after a $200 million renovation. (Read more)

Jennifer Miller, the conservation program manager for the Ohio chapter of the Sierra Club, told Funk that while FirstEnergy is the first to announce a preference for biomass, it is not the only company to do so. "American Electric Power, Dayton Power and Light and Duke Energy Ohio have similar though smaller projects pending or already approved. Plus, an unregulated company has won approval to build a plant burning only biomass in southern Ohio," Funk wrote in a story previewing the vote. "We think PUCO has a responsibility to look at sustainability issues," Miller said. "Trees are 'carbon sinks.' If we burn down too many trees to make electricity, we have not helped the environment. And we have concerns that the Burger plant encourages FirstEnergy to do little in terms of solar or wind." (Read more)

Lawmakers defend, question Obama policies for managing public lands

During testimony before a House committee Thursday, Obama administration officials touted the variety of public-land uses they had implemented to boost rural economies, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers still suggested that the policies were actually hurting rural America.

"Jay Jensen, the Agriculture Department's deputy undersecretary for natural resources and environment, told a House Natural Resources subcommittee yesterday that his agency is using tools such as stewardship contracts, forest restoration initiatives and loan programs to bolster rural economies," Patrick Reis of Environment & Energy Daily reports. Jensen added that USDA's Rural Development agency has awarded more than $31 billion in development loans. New Mexico Democratic Rep. Ben Luján added that federal initiatives are helping the communities achieve both economic prosperity and conservation despite opponents claims to the contrary. Opponents of conservation initiatives "undermine Western communities by framing their struggles as a choice between economic prosperity and conservation," Luján said.

Still, some lawmakers said other White House policies were hurting rural America. South Dakota Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin took issue with what she termed an inappropriately narrow definition of what forest materials could be used for biomass energy, and said that was hurting timber communities. Utah Republican Rep. Bob Bishop criticized an endangered-species policy that he said was "preventing Westerners from making a living," Reis writes. (Read more, subscription required)

Biomass industry says new EPA regulation would be devastating, wants break for being green

A top biomass industry official said Tuesday the Environmental Protection Agency's new proposal governing emissions standards would cost the industry $50 billion. "The ruling announced last Friday would apply strict emissions limits on a wide variety of the boiler types used in burning material for energy, including biomass material," Darius Dixon of Environment & Energy Daily reports. In a conference call Tuesday Bob Cleaves, president and CEO of the Biomass Power Association, said the regulation "lacks economic rationality," and while the federal government "has its heart in the right place," the new regulation would be "impossible to comply with."

"The new regulations would cover several pollutants, including particulate matter, cadmium, mercury and carbon monoxide, in addition to greenhouse gases," Dixon writes. "Cleaves said industry leaders believed that biomass power producers might be allowed certain exemptions from new emissions regulations because, in principle, biomass is 'carbon neutral.'" Instead the proposal makes little distinction between biomass and dirtier coal or garbage incineration, Cleaves said.

Franz Matzner, climate legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said last month that EPA's rule must distinguish between those biomass techniques that are carbon-neutral and those that are not. "The science around biomass continues to make clear that not all biomass is good from a carbon footprint perspective," Matzner said. The 45-day public comment period on the rule began on Monday. (Read more, subscription required)

Use wood and other biomass for energy? 'It could go either way,' enviro group's top scientist says

Last week we reported about financial concerns holding back the burning of wood and other biomass to generate electricity. Environmental groups are also rallying against the idea, saying it's not as "green" as other alternative energy sources. Advocates say using biomass will help reduce greenhouse gases, but some say the rush to use wood to qualify for government incentives may reduce the benefit, Martin Kaste of National Public Radio reports. "I think it could go either way," Steve Hamburg, a forest ecologist and chief scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, told Kaste.

"Hamburg has done the 'carbon math' for biomass energy, and he says these plants may reduce greenhouse gases—but only if the fuel really is waste wood, harvested in a sustainable way," Kaste writes. Hamburg argues that if too many new biomass plants start competing for waste wood, they may end up burning wood that would otherwise be used for construction or paper, which would definitely result in a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

Even if the biomass is harvested responsibly, Hamburg says the climate benefit would be delayed because it would take years for new trees to grow and absorb the greenhouse gases emitted by biomass facilities. "I am confident that these kinds of plants over the next 200 years will create a net reduction [in greenhouse gases]," Hamburg told Kaste. "But we really care about what happens in the next 20 years and certainly in the next 50 years." (Read more)

Burning wood to produce electricity may be costly, but small-scale rural applications possible

Avista Corp.’s Kettle Falls, Wash., wood-burning generating station produces enough energy to power 40,000 homes. Instead of being a shining example of the application of biomass energy it has become a key example of the problems with the fuel.

"Located in the timber belt of the Selkirk Mountains, the plant has trouble getting wood fiber at prices that produce affordable electricity," Becky Kramer of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane reports. When the cost climbs too high, the plant shuts down and can be idled for weeks at a time.

"The Western U.S. is biomass rich … but it’s still about fuel. Can you get it in reasonable quantities and affordable costs? That hasn’t been solved yet," David Naccarato of McKinstry Co., a Seattle-based firm that works on biomass projects, told Kramer. Wood-burning power plants offer the attraction of being considered a "carbon-neutral" energy source, because as trees grow they absorb the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by burning them.
"Rural schools, hospitals and prisons have cut their utility bills by installing wood-burning boilers. The boilers heat buildings with steam," Kramer writes. "They’re particularly effective when they replace high-cost propane or oil furnaces." McKinstry, based in Seattle, has enjoyed success on a smaller-scale than the Avista plant. "You need adequate safeguards so you’re protecting the ecological process," Mike Petersen, the director of the Lands Council of Spokane, told Kramer. "But I think in these rural communities, something on a small scale is possible." (Read more)

EPA issues final greenhouse-gas rule, with no exemption for carbon emissions from biomass

Congress may not pass limits on carbon dioxide, but the Environmental Protection Agency keeps moving that way. It announced Thursday its final "tailoring" rule for greenhouse-gas emissions, targeting the emitters that release at least 100,000 tons of the gases per year. "EPA's rule 'tailors' permitting programs to limit the number of facilities that would be required to obtain New Source Review and Title V operating permits based on their greenhouse gas emissions," Robin Bravender of Greenwire reports for The New York Times. "EPA said the threshold would cover power plants, refineries and other large industrial plants while exempting smaller sources like farms, restaurants, schools and other facilities."

"Beginning next January, facilities that must already obtain New Source Review permits for other pollutants will be required to include greenhouse gases in their permits if they increase their emissions of the gases by at least 75,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year," Bravender writes. "On July 1, 2011, EPA will extend the requirements to new construction projects that emit at least 100,000 tons of greenhouse gases and existing facilities that increase their emissions by at least 75,000 tons per year, even if they do not exceed thresholds for other pollutants."

The new rule specifies that no sources that emit less than 50,000 tons per year will be subject to permitting requirements until at least April 30, 2016. The rule met praise from the environmental community, but industries were critical of the EPA's use of the Clean Air Act for greenhouse-gas regulation. "The Clean Air Act is not designed to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and this tailoring rule doesn't fix the problems with the Clean Air Act doing it," Howard Feldman, director of regulatory and scientific affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, told Bravender. (Read more)

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry seized on Thursday’s announcement to argue for the urgency of passing his climate bill, Sindya N. Bhanoo of the Times reports. "Today we went from 'wake-up call' to 'last call,'" he said. Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced a resolution in January that would strip EPA of its power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. (Read more)

The EPA rule does not exempt emissions from biomass power, which has rung alarm bells in the nascent industry. The final languiage "came as a bit of a surprise to us," said David Tenny, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners. the industry argues that when wood or other biomass is burned, the carbon dioxide that is released had been absorbed from the atmosphere by the trees, an analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council said it's not that simple. "The science around biomass continues to make clear that not all biomass is good from a carbon footprint perspective," Franz Matzner told Robin Bravender of Greenwire. "Chopping down a swath of forest that then gets turned into a parking lot and burning it puts carbon in the atmosphere that's not going to regrow." (Read more)

Genetic engineering may come to Southern U.S. forests in form of non-invasive (?) eucalyptus

Genetic engineering has long been a mainstay in the agricultural sector, but now it may be coming to silviculture, the growing of trees. Forestry giants International Paper Co. and MeadWestvaco Corp. are "planning to transform plantation forests of the southeastern United States by replacing native pine with genetically engineered eucalyptus, a rapidly growing Australian tree that in its conventional strains now dominates the tropical timber industry," Paul Voosen of Greenwire reports for Scientific American.

The companies' joint biotech venture AborGen LLC is hoping to use a controversial gene splice that restricts the eucalyptus trees' ability to reproduce to alleviate fears of the species turning invasive and overtaking native forests. "If such a fertility-control technology -- which has come under fire in farming for fear seed firms will exploit it -- is proven effective, it could open the door to many varieties of wild plants, including weedy grasses, to be genetically engineered for use in energy applications like biomass and next-generation biofuels without fear of invasiveness," Voosen writes.

Already countries like Brazil have used eucalyptus to transform their wood industry. The eucalyptus tree offers a significant upgrade over native southern pines in growth rate, the company told Voosen. Timber consultant Curtis Seltzer, who has studied ArborGen, describes its trees as a "game changer." Currently, only two of ArborGen's experimental eucalyptus stations have been allowed to flower. The company reports little in the way of pollen production, and earlier this month the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently issued a draft approval, subject to public comment, of expansion to 28 sites totaling 330 acres across seven states. (Read more)

Switchgrass converted to pellets for coal plants

A University of Kentucky College of Agriculture research project recently pelletized switchgrass for the first time as part of their attempt to create biofuel from the crop. Previously, ground switchgrass was mixed with coal to produce energy, but officials with East Kentucky Power Cooperative, a partner in the study, suggested UK try a pelleted form of the grass to better integrate the crop into their coal-fired systems, Katie Pratt of UK Ag News reports.

"Putting it in this form allows them to use current operational procedures to incorporate this biomass into their system without any significant changes or major financial output," Tom Keene, UK hay marketing specialist, told Pratt. Jeff Lowe, president of Midwestern Biofuels, which is pelletizing the switchgrass, explained, "Currently, we've tested up to an 8-percent blend with coal, and it's gone to another utility with no problems. It's handled well. It went through their mills and crushed down and went right to the furnace to make power."

Last year was the third-year of the four-year research project which has UK working with northeastern Kentucky farmers and their extension agents to learn more about future prospects for the crop. A dry 2007 and 2008, followed by an unusually wet 2009, have helped the researchers learn more about the crop's ability to stand up to weather variations, Pratt reports. "If we have a drought, that's not the end of the world," Keene said. "We still get production in a dry year so that's very good to know." (Read more)

Biofuel boom reducing wildlife habitat, study finds

Increased investment in crop-based biofuels may be leading to the loss of wildlife habitat, researchers from Michigan Technological University and The Nature Conservancy report. They say one potential solution is using diverse, native, prairie plants to produce bioenergy.

“There are ways to grow biofuel that are more benign,” said David Flaspohler, a Michigan Tech associate professor and author of the study. “Our advice would be to think broadly and holistically about the approach you use to solve a problem and to carefully consider its potential long-term impacts.” A government mandate to produce 136 billion liters of biofuel by 2022 is causing land-use change "on a scale not seen since virgin prairies were plowed and enormous swaths of the country’s forests were first cut down to grow food crops," Michigan Tech reports. the study suggests using biomass like agricultural residues that don't require added crop land or growing native perennials such as switchgrass and big bluestem to create biofuel.

The researchers acknowledge their proposed plans return smaller yields than corn, but Flaspohler says that trade off is necessary: "It was by ignoring unintended consequences that we’ve now found ourselves highly dependent on a non-renewable fuel source that is contributing to climate change. With some foresight and with information on key trade-offs, I think we can make wiser decisions in the future."

While most crop expansion to grow the corn needed for the biofuel revolution is taking place on land that was already farmed, researchers say there is growing evidence that land from Conservation Reserve Program, which pays rent to landowners who convert their agricultural land to natural grasslands or tree cover, is being converted to crop production. (Read more)

Struggling ethanol plants may be bought and converted to biobutanol, an alternate fuel

A Denver-based startup company is looking to retrofit at least five U.S. ethanol plants to make biobutanol, a versatile fuel that can be a gasoline additive and plastic feedstock. Gevo Inc., backed by renewable-energy investors such as Khosla Ventures and French firm Total SA, hopes to acquire financially distressed ethanol plants to make 200 million gallons of biobutanol a year, Russell Gold of The Wall Street Journal reports.

Unlike ethanol, which can't be moved by pipeline, biobutanol, which is made from corn, wheat and a variety of inedible crops, can be mixed into the existing petrochemical infrastructure, Gold writes. "Think of it as a smart biorefinery," Hans Blaschek, director of the Center for Advanced Bioenergy Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, tells Gold. "You are able to utilize more feedstocks and make different products. It's like having a portfolio of stocks versus having a single stock."

Biobutanol is expected to qualify as a biofuel under federal mandates, but isn't without its problems. A bushel of corn yields less biobutanol than ethanol. Proponents maintain that as long as oil prices remain higher than $45 a barrel, biobutanol will be competitive with oil as a plastics ingredient. Todd Alexander, a partner with law firm Chadbourne & Parke LLP, who has handled biofuels financing, told Gold: "Biobutanol holds significant promise as a next-generation fuel, but at this point there isn't commercial-scale production and it remains to be seen which feedstock and which process will be economically viable." (Read more)