Five-year study on switchgrass finds a 500 percent return on energy inputs; US cellulosic ethanol prospects receive a huge boost

January 8, 2008

In the first comprehensive report on the biofuel potential of switchgrass, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science says that switchgrass has a yield of more than five times the energy inputs needed to grow and process it into ethanol.

The 10-farm, five year study was conducted across the Midwest and potentially is key to unlocking the potential of cellulosic ethanol in the US.

Switchgrass has also received the green light on the nitrogen front, A report has been published comparing the impact of additional biofuel production on nitrogen levels inÂ Chesapeake Bay. The report found that corn production increased nitrogen in the Bay by 16 pounds per acre under production, versus 8 additional pounds per acre of soybeans. The report found that switchgrass production would reduce nitrogen levels by 27 pounds per acre under production.

Miscanthus ethanol yields are 2-1/2 times corn in 3-year trial; switchgrass disappoints

A study that will be published in Global Change Biology reveals that miscanthus will produce up to two and a half times the per-acre ethanol yields as corn. In the same 3-year field trial, in Illinois...

Detailed results downloadable for five-year study on switchgrass production costs, feasibility

In Nebraska, detailed results from the five-year switchgrass study, that demonstrated average production costs of $60 per ton of biomass with a low of $39 per ton, are now available online. The comple...

Illinois researchers says farmers won’t switch to cellulosic feedstocks until more profitable than corn, soy

In Illinois, researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign surveyed local farmers and report that the major challenge in developing cellulosic ethanol will be to persuade farmers to grow t...

Algae biofuel yields 154 times more miles per acre than soy biodiesel; solar is king, but as yet expensive

Miles per acre is the subject of an article at ecogeek on the productivity of various renewable energy sources. The article credited soybean biodiesel with a productivity of 2,400 miles per acre per y...

National Biodiesel Board awards $1.2 million to Danforth Center for soybean oil yield study

The National Biodiesel Board awarded a $1.2 million research grant to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to fund a three-year project to enhance the oil yield from soybeans. The grant was admini...

Nigerian cassava growers say that ethanol investment provide 13 percent return for farmers, 83 percent return for communities

The Nigerian Cassava Growers Association said that Nigeria will save over $6.1 billion by 2012 on the importation of kerosene and gasoline. The group also said that a study by SJH Associates demonstra...

Written by Jim Lane · Filed Under Producer News, Research