NEWBio Feedstock Improvement Team Breeds Better Switchgrass and Willow for the Bioeconomy

Breeding new perennial grass varieties of willow and switchgrass with useful bioenergy traits for the Northeast drives NEWBio team.

Shrub willow
Shrub Willow Canopy. Photo credit: Armen Kemanian.

 

Perennial crops dedicated to biomass production are just starting to be developed.  Most existing varieties of potential feedstock crops, such as switchgrass, have been bred for use as forage or conservation. But new varieties with traits that bioenergy producers require, especially high yields of biomass, will be a boon to a growing bioenergy industry. …

Market Analysis for Biomass Growers

Example Analyses of the Wood Chips and Paperboard Manufacturing Industries as Biomass Markets.

Introduction

Greene-Team-pellets
Greene Team pellets. Photo: NEWBio

The production of biofuels is a primary intended use for biomass. Because the cellulosic biofuels industry is still developing, there is not yet sufficient capacity in biofuel refineries to utilize biomass crops grown for cellulosic biofuels. However, the bioeconomy overall is growing, and many products other than biofuels can be manufactured from biomass. These byproducts may be alternate markets [i] for …

Research Summary: How Bioenergy Experts Can Improve Public Engagement

By including landowners in conversations about bioenergy crops such as switchgrass, willow and Miscanthus, experts are more likely to promote adoption than by just providing new information.

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Introduction

Current efforts to engage landowners on the topic of dedicated energy crops may fall short due to a crucial assumption made …

NEWBio Commercial Collaborators: Building a Sustainable Energy Future in the Northeast United States

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The Northeast region of the United States (from the Ohio River to the New England coast) has the natural, social, and technological resources needed to help create a sustainable, rural renaissance by using biomass to create biofuels, biopower, and advanced bioproducts. The Northeast Woody/Warm-Season Biomass Consortium (NEWBio) believes that the path to this vision is through collaboration with commercial innovators along various points of the bioeconomy supply chain. NEWBio’s commercial collaborators, biomass-based …

Bioenergy Crops Provide Valuable Ecosystem Services

Biofuel perennial grass and woody crops provide significant benefits for humankind.

 
Willow pollinator
Pollinator on shrub willow. Photo: Giuseppe Tumminello, U. Syracuse.

 

Table of Contents

What Is an Ecosystem Service?

A functioning ecosystem is the intricate environmental relationship of soil, water, microorganisms, …

CenUSA Models Predict Large Water Quality Improvements from Perennials

CenUSA’s System Performance team research shows water quality benefits when biofuels are produced from perennial grasses; provides guidance for policymakers, farmers, and the bioenergy industry.

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The Team and Objectives

Despite more than 40 years of largely voluntary efforts by federal, state and local government, …

Research Summary: What Would it Take to Convince Farmers to Grow Switchgrass for Biomass?

Researchers delve into the economic incentives that would induce farmers to grow switchgrass for cellulosic biofuel.

 

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Abstract

A survey of crop farmers in the North-Central region of the United States finds that they would ask for an average of $230 per acre, or about $82 per dry ton, to …

Research Summary: Overview of Comparative Injury Risk Between Annual Corn and Perennial Switchgrass Production

A probabilistic risk assessment model has been created to compare estimated worker injury risk of corn vs switchgrass production.

 

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Introduction

Switchgrass is a perennial crop alternative for biofuel production on marginal land in the U.S. Cornbelt.  Estimating change in worker injury risk moving from corn to switchgrass production would be …

CenUSA Feedstock Development Creates Improved Switchgrass Varieties

 

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CenUSA Feedstock Development Team identifies gene pools and genetic diversity for improved switchgrass varieties and increased yields.

Table of Contents

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Team Objectives

The objective of the CenUSA Feedstock Development team is to develop new and improved perennial grass varieties and hybrids that can be used …

CenUSA Extension and Outreach: Perennial Grass Bioenergy Research and Knowhow for Producers, Students and Stakeholders

Bioenergy research is translated into practical know-how by extension educators, farmers and Master Gardeners.

 

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The CenUSA Extension and Outreach Team

On the streets, in the fields, and online, the CenUSA Extension and Outreach Team collaborators deliver programming …