Bioenergy Center AR2008 :cultivating the future of Oklahoma's renewable biofuel industry. |
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The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center is a research and collaboration focused on making Oklahom a Ie a renewable, economically viable an vir / The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center is a research and economic development collaboration focused on making Oklahoma a leader in the United States' quest for a renewable, economically viable and environmentally conscious energy source. The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center is a collaboration among the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Working together, these internationally renowned institutions are coordinating the research and delivery of outcomes to: • Achieve the competitive and sustainable production of liquid biofuels in Oklahoma; and • Contribute to the national research effort to achieve federally mandated levels of biofuels production and reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil. New challenges bring new opportunities In December 2007, the President signed the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). The EISA mandates the production of 36 billion gallons of biofuels annually by 2022 - with at least 16 billion of the 36 billon gallons taking the form of cellulosic ethanol. In 2008, the United States produced more than 9.2 billion gallons of ethanol. This ethanol was "starch" ethanol produced exclusively from grain, such as com or milo. However, the use of these traditional food-producing plants led to a necessary debate about whether food-based crops should be grown and harvested to produce Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 140D :::: 35.0 :l'o '0 30.0 ~ ~ 25.0 f :: ~ 5-0 :i 0.0 ~.~, _w"~wo_, _,O,O_W_"_"-"-"-" -,01-' _ZJ15_W_"_'-"'_W_" -ro.-. ~WW-'-""--<iro2 II ~~;Ui.<~ ~.~l~~,""N''''' ~~ focornStath .Biodesel [JAtJ\err.:edRa-ltVlalJles .CelUosic I fuel. While the EISA permits the limited expansion of starch ethanol production through 2015 (thereafter it is capped at 15 billion gallons annually), the future of ethanol production is cellulosic ethanol. What is cellulosic ethanol? Cellulosic ethanol is a fuel additive made from plant fiber rather than com or sorghum grain. Sources of cellulose are abundant and include corn stalks, wheat straw, alfalfa stems, wood, forestry residues and switchgrass. Cellulosic and starch ethanol are chemically identical. In 2006, more than 50 percent of the gasoline used in the United States contained ethanol. Awhole-system approach to a complex challenge To produce the required volume of biofuels each year, every geographic region within the United States will have the opportunity to contribute. The manner and level to which each region contributes will likely be driven by many factors: crop productivity; soil type, rainfall and other environmental factors; and historical production patterns. In Oklahoma, agricultural history has shown that com and wheat are economically productive only in certain regions of the state. Forests occupy the southeastern extremes of the state, and native and introduced pastures are found across the central and western portions of the state. All of these "crops" may eventually contribute to Oklahoma's role as a bioenergy leader. With such diversity and a desire to make a timely impact, the scientists and researchers representing the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center took a practical approach to establishing the Center's initial research priorities. They answered the question: What will best benefit Oklahoma and its agricultural producers? / ic development in the United States' quest for ally conscious energy source. Unlike other state or national biofuels research initiatives, the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center has focused and is coordinating its research effort to address the entire spectrum of the bioenergy process "from the field to the biorefinery." The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center capitalizes on the strengths of the contributing institutions, taking a "whole-system" approach - moving and integrating the discoveries and innovations of one research program to the next research program to enable the delivery of an integrated solution for Oklahoma and its agricultural producers. Beyond switchgrass and cellulosic ethanol While the primary research focus of the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center is cellulosic ethanol produced from switchgrass, secondary research of the Center includes: • oilseed feedstock production (for biodiesel production); • winter canol a production (for biodiesel production); • sweet sorghum processing for on-farm production of ethanol; • alfalfa improvement (as a companion crop for non-legume cellulosic crops); • forage sorghum demonstration (for cellulosic ethanol production); and • enhanced oil extraction and other processing for oilseed feedstocks (for biodiesel production). What are synthetic fuels? Synthetic fuels are liquid transpor-tation fuels produced from carbon-based materials-coal, natural gas or biomass - as a direct replacement for traditional gasoline and diesel. For such synthetic fuels, the goal is to convert materials, for example, plant material such as switchgrass, into commercial grade transporta-tion fuels. Continued investment and focus on research today is necessary to bring this technology to the marketplace tomorrow. J Demonstration Projects Distinguishing the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center from other state and national re-search initiatives, the Board of Directors and Scientific Steering Committee undertook to establish production-scale demonstration fields - totaling more than 1,300 acres - for cellulosic energy crops, including sorghum and switchgrass. The critical piece to this demonstration effort is the world's first 1,OOO-acrefield site located near Guymon new collaborations involving out-of-state contributors, including Abengoa Bioenergy, a world leader in the production of biofuels; Idaho National Laboratory, the lead national laboratory responsible for biomass supply and logistics for the U.S. Department of Energy; Ceres, Inc., the leading developer and supplier of dedicated energy crops; and AGCO Corporation, one of the world's larg-est manufacturers and distributors of agri-cultural equipment. In addition, the demon-stration fields have enabled the involvement of critical in-state resources, for example, Hitch Enterprises of Guymon, a multigen-erational Oklahoma family enterprise that brings agricultural expertise and credibility to this emerging industry. OBe receives national attention for demonstration fields On April 23, 2008, the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center issued a press release detailing the operations at the 1,000-acre Guymon switchgrass field site and its contribution to the national biofuels research effort. The story was published across the United States. A few of these na-tional publications include: • Biofuels Digest • Biofuels Journal • Ethanol Producer Magazine • U.S. Dept. of Energy News Service Los Angeles Times Forbes • Houston Chronicle • Dallas Morning News • St. Louis Post-Dispatch ("'\ • Kansas City Star The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center dem-onstration fields also serve as "living classrooms" where agricultural producers, policymakers and the general public can see and experience these crops, and how they will playa key role in the United States' energy future. Specifically, in October 2008, Oklahoma State University's South Central Research Station in Chickasha hosted a field day that provided an excellent educational forum for Oklahoma agricultural producers, legislators and educators. The field day, Fuel from the Field-Oklahoman Grown, pro-vided more than 200 participants a firsthand look at storage techniques for forage crops and cellulosic feedstocks, in-field production for ethanol from sweet sorghum, agronomic considerations for sorghum production and conversion of biomass to ethanol. Addition-ally, the field day included an industrial panel, discussing the potential equipment needs of this emerging industry, which included representatives from John Deere, Livingstone Machinery Co., Case IH and New Holland, Inc. directed to the production of dedicated energy crops for the production of biofuels or bioenergy. While this emerging industry has relied on small plots (i.e., 5- to 20-acre plots) to make long-term and industry-wide decisions, the leadership of the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center has created a national resource that enables critical knowledge to be gathered to initiate and then contribute to a sustaining industry. The demonstration fields of the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center provide academia and in-dustry a unique "living laboratory" to under-stand the production and long-term impact of bioenergy crops, as well as experiment with new production techniques and critical harvest, collection and transport methods. Specifically, the demonstration fields enable What to expect in 2009 Funding. As a consequence of planning and stewarding the prior re-sources provided by the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center has structured its research programs to use the actual funds ($14 million), rather than planned funds ($30 million), allocated to the Center. It is projected that the existing research and demonstration programs have sufficient state funding to continue through early- to mid-2010. In 2009, the Center's scientists will apply for federal funds, both stimu-lus and competitive, to complement the state's investment in this initia-tive. The grant application process for these federal funds will be highly competitive. While the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center is well positioned to compete for such funds, it is impossible to forecast the rate of success. For 2010, it is anticipated that there will exist significant funding chal-lenges: (a) sustaining the multiyear research and demonstration programs that have been initiated and are currently ongoing; and (b) providing the required cost share (20 percent-50 percent) of any federal competitive awards received in 2009-2010. Research. Scientists participating in the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center will continue to conduct research for those programs and projects that have been currently funded. At the conclusion of each year, these scientists prepare and submit written progress reports to the Scientific Steering Committee, which are reviewed and evaluated for continued funding. As the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center Guymon demonstration fields mature, new research projects will be designed to take advantage of and leverage these production-scale resources. In particular, scientists and researchers will begin groundbreaking (and industry-critical) research in the areas of harvest, collection and storage. Moreover, research initiated at the Okla-homa State University's South Central Research Station in Chickasha in 2008 will be expanded beyond sorghum to include switchgrass. Public Outreach and Education. Oklahoma State University will host Fuel from the Field field day in the fall of 2009 at the Oklahoma State University's South Central Research Station in Chickasha. Further, scientists and researchers from the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and the Noble Foundation will seek to publish their research and attend national and international meetings to present the outcomes of their Center-funded research. Additionally, administrators from these institutions and representatives from the Oklahoma Office of the Secretary of Energy will continue to speak at state and national meet-ings regarding the pacesetting Oklahoma Bioenergy Center, the generos-ity of the Oklahoma Legislature, the progress and relationships that have been achieved and the expectations for Oklahoma's bioenergy future. Oklahoma Bioenergy Center Funding ~I $12 $10 $8 $6 $4 $2 $0 iii State funding (initial commitment)" II State funding (actual) W'nstituonal cost sharing (contribution of indirect cost) iii Program expansion (federal)·· 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 * In 2007, Gov. Henry signed into law the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center Act creating the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center. The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center was planned as a four-year, $40 million initiative . • * Includes both competitive and appropriated federal funding to initiate new research and demonstration projects to complement the programs initiated and sustained by the state's core Oklahoma Bioenergy funding. Oklahoma Bioenergy Center Board of Directors David Fleischaker Jolen Operating Co. Larry Grillot, Ph.D. University of Oklahoma Stephen McKeever, Ph.D. Oklahoma State University Steven Rhines The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Michael Udvardi, Ph.D. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Robert Whitson, Ph.D. Oklahoma State University Lee Williams, Ph.D. University of Oklahoma Scientific Steering Committee Joe Bouton, Ph.D. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Terry Collins, Ph.D., P.E. Oklahoma State University Billy Cook, Ph.D. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Rick Dixon, D.Phil. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Raymond Huhnke, Ph.D., P.E. Oklahoma State University Lance Lobban, Ph.D. University of Oklahoma Ken Nicholas, Ph.D. University of Oklahoma David Porter, Ph.D. Oklahoma State University Jizhong Zhou, Ph.D. University of Oklahoma Whole-System Research Approach Crop Development Identify, evaluate and improve the best plant materials to increase yield, sustainability, conversion efficiency and biofuel output. Exemplary projects: • Increasing biomass lignin content for enhanced (gasification) conversion • Improving biomass yield and seed quality in switchgrass •---• •---• Crop Production Develop establishment and management tools and procedures for dedicated energy crops. Exemplary projects: • Use and value of switchgrass in a dual-purpose stocker cattle and bioenergy system • Field evaluation of switchgrass nutrient dynamics and requirements in Oklahoma • Economics and impact of poultry manure and composted manure on soil quality and yield (compared to chemical fertilizers) among potential biofuel crops •---• •---• Harvest, Collection and Transport Design new solutions to harvest, process, collect and move high-yielding, commercial energy crops. Exemplary projects: �� Harvesting and handling equipment to meet the demands of cellulosic biomass under indigenous growing conditions • Modeling the logistics value chain for switchgrass and economics of alternative strategies for the emerging Oklahoma cellulosic biomass industry • Critical processing issues for on-farm production of ethanol from sweet sorghum \ •--• '/ . •--• I '. I ,.•,.. Conversion Formulate the most effective and economical way to transform new feedstocks - like switchgrass - into biofuels that burn efficiently, reduce greenhouse gasses and are compatible with today's engines and fuel pumps. Exemplary projects: • Improvement of ethanol production from CO, C02 and H2 by the autotrophic species C. carboxidivorans p7 and p 11 using Oklahoma cellulosic biomass • Catalytic processes for conversion of pyrolysis oil • Design, fabricate and evaluate an 8-million-BTU per hour (12 tons of biomass per day), down-draft, gasifier system (bioconversion unit) for decentralized energy and power production . " "
Object Description
Description
Title | Bioenergy Center AR2008 :cultivating the future of Oklahoma's renewable biofuel industry. |
OkDocs Class# | Z2118.3 A615 2008 |
Digital Format | PDF, Adobe Reader required |
ODL electronic copy | Deposited by agency in print; scanned by Oklahoma Department of Libraries 7/2011 |
Rights and Permissions | This Oklahoma state government publication is provided for educational purposes under U.S. copyright law. Other usage requires permission of copyright holders. |
Language | English |
Full text |
The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center is a research and
collaboration focused on making Oklahom a Ie
a renewable, economically viable an vir
/ The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center is a
research and economic development
collaboration focused on making Oklahoma
a leader in the United States' quest for
a renewable, economically viable and
environmentally conscious energy source.
The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center is a
collaboration among the University of
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and
The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.
Working together, these internationally
renowned institutions are coordinating the
research and delivery of outcomes to:
• Achieve the competitive and sustainable
production of liquid biofuels in
Oklahoma; and
• Contribute to the national research effort
to achieve federally mandated levels of
biofuels production and reduce the
United States' dependence on foreign
oil.
New challenges bring new
opportunities
In December 2007, the President signed
the Energy Independence and Security Act
(EISA). The EISA mandates the production
of 36 billion gallons of biofuels annually
by 2022 - with at least 16 billion of the 36
billon gallons taking the form of cellulosic
ethanol.
In 2008, the United States produced more
than 9.2 billion gallons of ethanol. This
ethanol was "starch" ethanol produced
exclusively from grain, such as com or
milo. However, the use of these traditional
food-producing plants led to a necessary
debate about whether food-based crops
should be grown and harvested to produce
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
140D
:::: 35.0 :l'o
'0 30.0 ~
~ 25.0 f :: ~ 5-0
:i 0.0 ~.~, _w"~wo_, _,O,O_W_"_"-"-"-" -,01-' _ZJ15_W_"_'-"'_W_" -ro.-. ~WW-'-""-- |
Date created | 2011-07-29 |
Date modified | 2011-07-29 |
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