Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: North Dakota was judged as the state with the most potentiallto produce bioenergy due to vast land area including marginal cropland and Conservation Research Program enrollment land. The targeted audiences are all the agricultural producers who want to be involved in bioenergy production sector. Conservation groups also are the project’s target audience because perennial herbaceous plants only produce the direct benefit for the bioenergy feedstock, but also to present tremendous environmental benefits of soil health, wildlife habitat, and water quality. Scientific professionals and policy makers can also gain knowledge about plant material improvement, agronomic management, and future research directions. Efforts. This project was a team effort to: 1) determine the potential yield of selected perennial grass varieties for biomass production and biofuel production; 2) evaluate pre- and post-emergent weed control strategies in perennial crops grown for biofuel production; 3) analyze the agricultural policy legislation and develop strategic trade policies that will best enhance U.S. agricultural competitiveness, sustain farm income, and enhance production of bio-products including the economic feasibility of biomass crops competing with traditional crops grown in the region; 4) determine the potential yield of annual cool- and warm-season crops for biomass production, their optimum fall harvest date and nitrogen fertilization; and 5) determine the chemical composition and potential of efficient conversion of biomass feedstocks grown in the northern Great Plains for use as biofuels feedstock. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Seven graduate student projects were funded by this grant. New equipment to enhance chemical analysis and field plot work were purchased in part with funding from this project. All phases of the research utilized undergraduate students to help in the lab, field, and with computer modeling. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Several ways were used to disseminate the result and progress of this project to the targeted audiences. For the professional groups, all the peer-reviewed journal articles presented an entrance to them to communicate. For the potential producers, annual reports were published and disseminated to all the communities in North Dakota as newspapers to their mailboxes. Field days, both indoor and outdoor ones, presented the opportunities to the local producers to attend from all the Experiment Stations. Radio interviews, local newspapers, internet site update were also employed to better communicate with potential targeted audiences. The outlook is outstanding. For example, the audiences improved their awareness of bioenergy potential, plant material selection, agronomic management, and farm-scale decision making issues year by year. Furthermore, livestock producers get some insights about forage production and management by attending these publicly available field days, presentations, workshops, as well as the publications and newsletters. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A simulation model for corn and soybeans was developed to investigate the impact of an increase in blending mandate from 10% to 15% and elimination of a tax credit of $0.45 per gallon of ethanol. The simulation model is partial econometric model with six major corn and soybean producing countries. To investigate regional effects in the U.S., the U.S. is divided into several producing and consuming regions. This study found that the increase in blending ratio to 15% would increase prices of corn and soybeans significantly. Price of corn is expected to be $6.07 per bushel, while the price of soybeans to $9.50 in 2020. The U.S. ethanol industry would use 5.0 billion bushels of corn for ethanol production in 2010 and is projected to use 6.0 billion bushels of corn in 2020. A comprehensive study was completed to examine the role of agriculture in alternative energy production and GHG emission reduction in North Dakota. In a new era of renewable energy production, the relationship between energy and agricultural sectors became more interdependent. This study found that North Dakota can play a significant role in the production of renewable energy. Statistical simulation techniques were used to examine changes in land use and carbon sequestration in North Dakota under alternative environmental policies; mainly cap and trade (CAT) and carbon tax. This simulation is based on a survey conducted to ND farmers for their willingness to participate carbon sequestration at alternative prices of carbon. This study found that the total farmland to be enrolled in carbon credit program would increase 8.4 million acres at a carbon price of $5.00 per ton to 22 million acres at a carbon price of $70 per ton. The total amount of carbon sequestered in ND would increase from 3.3 million tons to 9 million tons as the price of carbon increases from $5 to $70. The ND representative farm model was used to analyze the impact of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 on the ND farm income with and without carbon sequestration. This study found that (1) with carbon price ranging $20 and $35, the benefits from the carbon sequestration could be large enough to offset the cost of the legislation, and (2) benefits from the carbon sequestration differ from one region to another, depending upon soil types and weather conditions. In general, the western part of the state would gain more benefits from carbon sequestration than the eastern part of the state. Another study was to analyze the impact of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission regulations on the U.S. sugar industry. A mathematical programming model based on a nonlinear programming algorithm was used for the study. The objective function us to minimize costs of processing sugar beet and cane sugar, distribution, and import to satisfy domestic consumption of sugar in the U.S. This study found that regulations directed toward only domestic industry will not achieve the desired goal of reducing GHG emissions. GHG emissions reduction in the U.S. will be replaced by GHG emissions in other parts of the world. However, U.S. sugar beet production will be decreased significantly mainly because processing sugar beet is more energy intensive than processing sugar cane in the U.S. Densification of switchgrass by pelleting increased enzymatic hydrolysis yields to over 70% without any additional thermochemical pretreatment. Yields after pelletization and dilute acid pretreatment were above 90% of theoretical and similar to yields from dilute acid pretreated bulk switchgrass. Use of pelleted switchgrass with soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA) pretreatment increased hydrolysis yields by 37% over bulk switchgrass pretreated with SAA pretreatment. Improvements in hydrolysis yields were attributed primarily to grinding that occurs within the pellet mill. Switchgrass hydrolyzed with mixtures of cellulases and hemicellulases after SAA pretreatment resulted in glucose yields over 85% of theoretical and it was determined that such high hydrolysis yields are possible with a range of pretreatment temperatures and times. Hemicellulase addition did not improve yields beyond 80% for the mildest SAA treatment conditions tested. During the three years of this project 12 different species of crops were evaluated as potential feedstocks for biomass for bioenergy. Miscanthus and switchgrass were used as check crops for bioenergy. The crop with the highest potential for bioenergy in North Dakota was forage sorghum which yield up to 35 Mg/ha. Although an annual crop the production cost can be reduced by using legume cover crops before its establishment. Impacts: The bioenergy crops research is new and is generating a lot of attention from growers. Although there is not a lignocellulosic bio-refinery being built in North Dakota to process biomass, it is expected to occur in the near future as we prepare to meet the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) goal of 36 billion gallons per year (BGY) of liquid fuels by the year 2022, of which 15 BGY are expected to come from dedicated lignocellulosic energy crops. Alkar tall wheatgrass had superior chemical composition for direct combustion because of low ash content and for ethanol production as a result of high cellulose and low acid detergent lignin content. Wheatgrasses were best on drier sites and switchgrasses on wetter sites for biomass production, with 1.12 tons/acre for Haymaker intermediate wheatgrass at Williston, 1.96 tons/ac for wheatgrass + alfalfa + sweetclover at Hettinger, 2.96 tons /acre for Haymaker intermediate wheatgrass at Streeter, 3.59 tons/acre for Sunburst switchgrass + Alkar tall wheatgrass at Minot, and 4.70 tons/acre for Sunburst switchgrass at Carrington. No significant differences of biomass production between annual and biennial harvests at Williston, Hettinger, and Minot for different entries, 35% biomass lost at Williston, 60% at Hettinger, and 30% at Minot in biennial harvest. The least biomass lost in biennial harvest was Sunburst switchgrass + Alkar tall wheatgrass at Streeter (15%) and Sunburst switchgrass + Mustang Altai wildrye at Carrington (33%). With irrigation at Williston, the Sunburst switchgrass had the highest biomass production of 6.12 tons/acre compared with 1.12 tons/acre of Haymaker intermediate wheatgrass in non-irrigated lands. The harvest yield differences at Streeter between the 25 cm and 7.5 cm stubble height ranged from 74% for Alkar tall wheatgrass to 26% for Haymaker intermediate wheatgrass. Herbicides with the most potential to control smooth bromegrass and quackgrass without injury to switchgrass were determined in a greenhouse study and evaluated in the field. None of the herbicides provided satisfactory weedy grass control 1 YAT when applied in May or June 9 to an infested switchgrass stand near Streeter, ND or a weedy grass-infested field at Fargo, ND. At Streeter, sulfometuron and aminocyclopyrachlor provided 57% and 26% quackgrass control, respectively, 1 YAT when applied at 210 g/ha in May. Smooth bromegrass and quackgrass were reduced an average of 63% when sulfometuron was applied at 210 g/ha in May at Fargo, but control was only 44% when applied in June. Cool-season grasses such as intermediate and tall wheatgrass were successfully established in central and western North Dakota. Establishment of warm season grasses such as big bluestem and switchgrass was not as successful in western North Dakota due to lower moisture conditions. During the establishment year, mowing weeds can be used for weed control. In warm season grasses, glyphosate can be used to control cool season weedy grasses. Adding legumes for nitrogen appears to lessen the need for fertilizer, but herbicides used to control weeds would be detrimental to legumes. After full establishment, management is minimal compared to annual cash crops. Biomass yield varied by species and their mixes, by site, and by year due to climatic and soil conditions.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Xue, Q.W., G.J. Wang & P.E. Nyren. 2013. Biomass production in Northern Great Plains of USA agronomic perspective. In: Biomass/Book 2, M.D. Matovic (ed.), InTech, ISBN 980-953-307-506-3.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Berti, M.T. 2012. Adaptation, Quality and Management of Sustainable Biofuel Crops in the West. WERA 1016 committee, 2012 Annual meeting. 6-9 August, 2012, Fargo, ND.
Berti, M.T.2012. Cropping systems for biomass feedstock production in the North Central Region, USA. Visiting scientist presentation. 28 June, University of Bologna, Italy.
Berti, M.T. 2012. Optimizing forage and biomass crop production. Risk Management Research Summit, 2012, Meeting. 7-8 November, 2012, Rochester, MN. Midwest Forage Association, St. Paul, MN.
Samarappuli, D., and M.T. Berti. 2012. Advantages of Using Cover crops before Annual Forage Crops. Risk Management Research Summit, 2012, Meeting. 7-8 November, 2012, Rochester, MN. Midwest Forage Association, St. Paul, MN.
Berti, M.T., D. Samarappuli, R. Nudell, B.L. Johnson. 2012. Cropping systems for biomass feedstock production in the North Central Region, USA. p. 474-479 In 20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. 18-22 June, 2012, Milan, Italy. Available at http://www.etaflorence.it/proceedings/index.asp (verified 10 August 2012).
Monono, E., Haagenson, D., and S. W. Pryor. 2012. Developing and Evaluating NIR Calibration Models for Multi-species Herbaceous Perennials, Industrial Biotechnology, 8(5): 285-292.
Monono, E., Berti, M., Nyren, P., and S. W. Pryor. 2012. Variability in Biomass Yield, Chemical Composition, and Ethanol Potential of Individual and Mixed Herbaceous Biomass Species Grown in North Dakota, Industrial Crops and Products, 41(2013): 331-339.
Pryor, S. W., Karki, B., and N. Nahar. 2012. Effect of Hemicellulase Addition during Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Switchgrass Pretreated by Soaking in Aqueous Ammonia, Bioresource Technology, 123(2012): 620-626.
Rijal, B., Igathinathane, C., Karki, B., Yu, M., and S. W. Pryor. 2012. Combined Effect of Pelleting and Pretreatment on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Switchgrass, Bioresource Technology, 116 (2012): 36-41.
Samarappuli, D., M. T. Berti. 2012. Cover crops impact on energy crops productivity in North Dakota. p. 46. In McMahan, C.M. and M.T. Berti, (eds.), 24th Annual AAIC Meeting-2012 Developing Sustainable Solutions: Program and Abstracts 12-15 November 2012, Sonoma, CA.
Wang, G.J., P.E. Nyren, Q.W. Xue, E. Aberle, E. Eriksmoen, M. Halverson, G. Bradbury, M. Liebig, K. Nichols & A. Nyren. 2012. Biomass yield of perennial forage species for bioenergy in North Dakota. North Dakota State University CGREC 2012 Grass and Beef Research Review. NIFA support acknowledged in this publication.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Anfinrud, R., and M.T. Berti. 2011. Nitrogen uptake and biomass and ethanol yield of forage crops as feedstock for biofuel. ASA National Meeting, 16-20 October 2011, San Antonio, TX.
Samarappuli, D., and M.T. Berti. 2011. Use of cover crops as supplemental fall forage and as a nutrient source for following biomass crops. ASA National Meeting, 16-20 October 2011, San Antonio, TX.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Conklin, K. L. 2012. Aminocyclopyrachlor: Weed control, soil dissipation, and efficacy to seedling grasses. M.S. thesis. North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. 83 p.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Setter, C. M. 2011. Weed control effects on native species, soil seedbank change, and biofuel production. M.S. thesis. North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. 92 p.
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Biomass crops adapted to North Dakota were identified. Dissemination has been conducted nationally and internationally in conferences and symposiums presentations, and locally in field days and tours. This grant allowed PI Berti to generate a collaboration agreement with the Biomass research group at the University of Bologna, Italy. Initial results of the enzymatic hydrolysis studies were presented at the 2012 regional and international meetings of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Herbicides with the most potential to control smooth bromegrass and quackgrass without injury to switchgrass were determined in a greenhouse study and evaluated in the field. None of the herbicides provided satisfactory weedy grass control 1 YAT when applied in May or June 9 to an infested switchgrass stand near Streeter, ND or a weedy grass-infested field at Fargo, ND. At Streeter, sulfometuron and aminocyclopyrachlor provided 57% and 26% quackgrass control, respectively, 1 YAT when applied at 210 g/ha in May. Smooth bromegrass and quackgrass were reduced an average of 63% when sulfometuron was applied at 210 g/ha in May at Fargo, but control was only 44% when applied in June. Cool-season grasses such as intermediate and tall wheatgrass were successfully established in central and western North Dakota. Establishment of warm season grasses such as big bluestem and switchgrass was not as successful in western North Dakota due to lower moisture conditions. During the establishment year, mowing weeds can be used for weed control. In warm season grasses, glyphosate can be used to control cool season weedy grasses. Adding legumes for nitrogen appears to lessen the need for fertilizer, but herbicides used to control weeds would be detrimental to legumes. After full establishment, management is minimal compared to annual cash crops. Biomass yield varied by species and their mixes, by site, and by year due to climatic and soil conditions. The project results have been disseminated by 1) Indoor and outdoor field day meetings at research centers every year, each fieldday event had about 100 attendees including producers and research professionals from all over North Dakota, part of Minnesota, South Dakota and Montana. 2) 35,000 copies of North Dakota State University CGREC research review newspaper that covered most interested producers and scientists in this region. 3) National or regional conference presentations and posters. PARTICIPANTS: Rodney G. Lym (NDSU Plant Sciences, Professor, Lead-PI) Won Koo (NDSU AES Agribusiness & Appld Econ, Professor, Co-PI) Scott W. Pryor (NDSU ABEN Associate Professor, Co-PI) Marisol Berti (NDSU Plant Science Associate Professor, Co-PI) Paul Nyren (Director, NDSU Central Grasslands Research and Extension Center, Co-PI) Igathinathane Cannayen (NDSU ABEN Assistant Professor) Nurun Nahar (ABEN Research Technician) Binod Rijal (Graduate Student) Darrin Haagenson, (ABEN Research Technician) Bishnu Karki (Postdoctoral Research Associate) Manlu Yu (Graduate Student) Katie Conklin (Graduate Student) Cassie Setter (Graduate Student) TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Densification of switchgrass by pelleting increased enzymatic hydrolysis yields to over 70% without any additional thermochemical pretreatment. Yields after pelletization and dilute acid pretreatment were above 90% of theoretical and similar to yields from dilute acid pretreated bulk switchgrass. Use of pelleted switchgrass with soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA) pretreatment increased hydrolysis yields by 37% over bulk switchgrass pretreated with SAA pretreatment. Improvements in hydrolysis yields were attributed primarily to grinding that occurs within the pellet mill. Switchgrass hydrolyzed with mixtures of cellulases and hemicellulases after SAA pretreatment resulted in glucose yields over 85% of theoretical and it was determined that such high hydrolysis yields are possible with a range of pretreatment temperatures and times. Hemicellulase addition did not improve yields beyond 80% for the mildest SAA treatment conditions tested. During the three years of this project 12 different species of crops were evaluated as potential feedstocks for biomass for bioenergy. Miscanthus and switchgrass were used as check crops for bioenergy. Results indicate that the crop with the highest potential for bioenergy in North Dakota is forage sorghum which yield up to 35 Mg/ha. Although an annual crop the production cost can be reduced by using legume cover crops before its establishment. Impacts: The bioenergy crops research is new and is generating a lot of attention from growers. Although there is not a lignocellulosic bio-refinery being built in North Dakota to process biomass, it is expected to occur in the near future as we prepare to meet the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) goal of 36 billion gallons per year (BGY) of liquid fuels by the year 2022, of which 15 BGY are expected to come from dedicated lignocellulosic energy crops. The information on best management production practices generated by my research project will be crucial to answer questions on what crop to select for bioenergy production, how to manage and harvest, and how to have a sustainable cropping system for energy feedstock production.
Publications
- Berti, M.T., D. Samarappuli, R. Nudell, B.L. Johnson. 2012. Cropping systems for biomass feedstock production in the North Central Region, USA. p. 474-479 In 20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. 18-22 June, 2012, Milan, Italy. Available at http://www.etaflorence.it/proceedings/index.asp (verified 10 August 2012).
- Conklin, K. L. 2012. Aminocyclopyrachlor: Weed control, soil dissipation, and efficacy to seedling grasses. M.S. thesis. North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. 83 p.
- Monono, E., Haagenson, D., and S. W. Pryor 2012. Developing and Evaluating NIR Calibration Models for Multi-species Herbaceous Perennials, Industrial Biotechnology, 8(5): 285-292.
- Monono, E., Berti, M., Nyren, P., and S. W. Pryor 2012.Variability in Biomass Yield, Chemical Composition, and Ethanol Potential of Individual and Mixed Herbaceous Biomass Species Grown in North Dakota, Industrial Crops and Products, 41(2013): 331-339.
- Pryor, S. W., Karki, B., and N. Nahar 2012. Effect of Hemicellulase Addition during Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Switchgrass Pretreated by Soaking in Aqueous Ammonia, Bioresource Technology, 123(2012): 620-626.
- Rijal, B., Igathinathane, C., Karki, B., Yu, M., and S. W. Pryor 2012. Combined Effect of Pelleting and Pretreatment on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Switchgrass, Bioresource Technology, 116 (2012): 36-41.
- Samarappuli, D., and M.T. Berti. 2011. Use of cover crops as supplemental fall forage and as a nutrient source for following biomass crops. ASA National Meeting, 16-20 October 2011, San Antonio, TX.
- Samarappuli, D., M. T. Berti. 2012. Cover crops impact on energy crops productivity in North Dakota. p. 46. In McMahan, C.M. and M.T. Berti, (eds.), 24th Annual AAIC Meeting-2012 Developing Sustainable Solutions: Program and Abstracts 12-15 November 2012, Sonoma, CA.
- Setter, C. M. 2011. Weed control effects on native species, soil seedbank change, and biofuel production. M.S. thesis. North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. 92 p.
- Anfinrud, R., and M.T. Berti. 2011. Nitrogen uptake and biomass and ethanol yield of forage crops as feedstock for biofuel. ASA National Meeting, 16-20 October 2011, San Antonio, TX.
- Berti, M.T. 2012. Adaptation, Quality and Management of Sustainable Biofuel Crops in the West. WERA 1016 committee, 2012 Annual meeting. 6-9 August, 2012, Fargo, ND.
- Berti, M.T. 2012. Cropping systems for biomass feedstock production in the North Central Region, USA. Visiting scientist presentation. 28 June, University of Bologna, Italy.
- Berti, M.T. 2012. Optimizing forage and biomass crop production. Risk Management Research Summit, 2012, Meeting. 7-8 November, 2012, Rochester, MN. Midwest Forage Association, St. Paul, MN. Samarappuli, D., and M.T. Berti. 2012 Advantages of Using Cover crops before Annual Forage Crops. Risk Management Research Summit, 2012, Meeting. 7-8 November, 2012, Rochester, MN. Midwest Forage Association, St. Paul, MN.
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Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Several experiments were designed to evaluate the potential of cool-season and warm-season annual crops for biofuel production from 2009 thru 2011 at Fargo and Prosper, ND. Several sorghum genotypes provided the highest dry-matter production with the most potential for conversion to cellulosic ethanol. Sorghums were an excellent alternative as supplemental forage in the month of August when other forages reduced growth and productivity and an excellent source of cellulosic feedstock for ethanol production. Miscanthus established in the field in June 2010 yielded 5.23 Mg/ha. Compositional analysis was done on biomass harvested from 10 treatments of individual and mixed perennial grasses treatments replicated on irrigated plots from 2008 through 2010 and non-irrigated plots in 2008. Data from compositional analysis was used to predict theoretical ethanol yields on a mass basis and was combined with biomass yield data to determine the theoretical ethanol yields on an area basis. Theoretical ethanol yields varied from 331 to 365 L/Mg and 2,324 to 5,082 L/ha. The study demonstrated that the variability in carbohydrate yields among different biomass species is much less than the variability in biomass yields in different locations and over several years. This was because variation of theoretical ethanol yield on an area basis (15 to 28%) was greater than variation on a mass basis (4 to 10%); thus, compositional variation among herbaceous perennial biomass species are generally insufficient to overcome differences in biomass yield. Also, the study showed that switchgrass varieties grown in monoculture or in mixed-species plots had significantly higher dry-matter yields and ethanol potential (area basis) on irrigated plots in Williston. On non-irrigated plots in Minot, ND, growing the same species mixtures, plots incorporating intermediate or tall wheatgrass species produced higher yields than plots without those species. Smooth brome and quackgrass can reduce or prevent switchgrass establishment and often invade established stands. Few herbicides are labeled for weed control in switchgrass and the efficacy of many herbicides on this species is unknown. Various herbicides were evaluated for smooth brome and quackgrass control at North Dakota State University campus and Main Station in Fargo, ND. Sulfometuron averaged 90% smooth brome control when applied at 280 g/ha in the spring and fall, but other grass species were injured as well. Aminocyclopyrachlor and chlorsulfuron treatments were less effective than sulfometuron. Quackgrass was controlled 99% when applied with sulfometuron at 280 g/ha in the fall. This was the most effective treatment for smooth brome control; however, other grass species were injured as well. The project results have been disseminated by 1)Indoor and outdoor field day meetings at research centers every year, each field day event had about 100 attendees from North Dakota, parts of Minnesota, South Dakota and Montana. 2) 35,000 copies of NDSU CGREC research review newspaper that covered most interested producers and scientists in this region. 3) National or regional conference presentations and posters PARTICIPANTS: Won Koo (Professor), Marisol Berti (Assoc Prof), Rodney Lym (Prof), Scott W. Pryor (Prof), Nurun Nahar, Bishnu Karki (Postdoctoral Research Associate), Rachel Rorick (Graduate Student), Ewumbua Monono (Graduate Student), Paul Nyren (Director, Central Grasslands Research Extension Center; Streeter, ND,) Qingwu Xue (ABEN Research Associate), Ezra Aberle Research Specialist at Carrington REC, Gordon Bradbury Crop Production Specialist at Williston REC, Katheryn Christianson, Research Specialist, NDSU, Fargo, Eric Eriksmoen Agronomist at Hettinger REC, Mark Halvorson Agronomist at North Central REC, Nancy M. Hodur Research Scientist NDSU Fargo, Richard Taylor Research Scientist Agricultural Economics NDSU, Yong Jiang Research Assistant Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics NDSU. TARGET AUDIENCES: Agricultural Producers, decision makers in agribusiness, decision makers in public sector, and academics (researchers, university professors and extension economist in bio-energy and environment economics). Cellulosic ethanol developers or processors Farmers interested in producing biomass to supply cellulosic biorefineries. Beet sugar processors and others interested in beet pulp utilization. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Alkar tall wheatgrass had superior chemical composition for direct combustion because of low ash content and for ethanol production as a result of high cellulose and low acid detergent lignin content. Wheatgrasses were best on drier sites and switchgrasses on wetter sites for biomass production, with 1.12 tons/A for Haymaker intermediate wheatgrass at Williston, 1.96 tons/A for wheatgrass + alfalfa + sweetclover at Hettinger, 2.96 tons /A for Haymaker intermediate wheatgrass at Streeter, 3.59 tons/A for Sunburst switchgrass + Alkar tall wheatgrass at Minot, and 4.70 tons/A for Sunburst switchgrass at Carrington. No differences in biomass production between annual and biennial harvests were observed. Perennial biomass samples were also used to develop an NIR calibration model that predicts lignin, glucan, and xylan values for multi-species grass samples. The study demonstrated that it is possible to develop an NIR calibration model for mixed perennial biomass species as the R2 value (81-88%) and RMSEP (0.54 - 1.12) were reasonable when compared to models developed for single feedstocks. An experiment carried out with the calibration model developed showed that the NIR instrument was stable over time (hours and days) in predicting chemical constituents as the coefficient of variation (CV) was low (1.4). The effect of sample repacking (presentation) alone in NIR prediction was also observed to be low(1.3%). Variability, was generally lower for repeated NIR predictions (1.8-5.7%)than for wet chemistry analysis (3.4-13.5%) while their means were generally in the same range indicating that NIR compositional analysis for mixed species biomass samples had higher precision. Relatively high variability in wet chemistry compositional analysis results suggests low precision and questionable accuracy of these techniques even with sample replication. The linkage between net farm income and macroeconomic variables were investigated from 2000-09. There was a stable long-run equilibrium relationship between the U.S. net farm income and the selected macroeconomic variables such as exchange rate, commodity price, domestic income, and interest rates. However, the exchange rate and U.S. agricultural price are more powerful determinants of U.S. net farm income. The ND representative farm model was used to analyze the impact of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 on the ND farm income with and without carbon sequestration. This study found that (1) with carbon price ranging $20 and $35, the benefits from the carbon sequestration could be large enough to offset the cost of the legislation, and (2) benefits from the carbon sequestration differ from one region to another, depending upon soil types and weather conditions. In general, the western part of the state would gain more benefits from carbon sequestration than the eastern part of the state. This study found that regulations directed toward only domestic industry will not achieve the desired goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions reduction in the U.S. will be replaced by increased GHG emissions in other parts of the world.
Publications
- Berti, M.T. 2011. Forages potential for bioenergy production in North Dakota. Northern Seed Trade Association annual meeting. 20-21 July, Fargo, ND.
- Berti, M., R. Nudell, R. Anfinrud, D. Samarappuli, and B. Johnson. 2011. Forage resources as feedstocks for the biofuel industry in North Dakota. In Proceedings of the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. 6-10 June, 2011, Berlin, Germany. 6p.
- Berti, M., D.W. Meyer, and R. Nudell. 2010. Sorghum: a potential forage and bioenergy crop in North Dakota. Abstract, In: 2010 International Annual Meetings, ASA, CSA, & SSSA, 31 Oct. - 3 Nov., 2010, Long Beach , CA.
- Karki, B., N. Nahar and S. W. Pryor. 2011. Enzymatic hydrolysis of switchgrass and tall wheatgrass mixtures using aqueous ammonia pretreatment, Biological Engineering Transactions 3(3):163-171.
- Leistritz, F. Larry, N. M. Hodur, D. M. Senechal, M. D. Stowers, W. F. McDonald, and C. M. Saffron. 2011. Biorefineries Using Agricultural Residue Feedstock in the Great Plains, J. Agribusiness 27:17-32.
- Pryor, S.W., and N. Nahar. 2010. Deficiency of Cellulase Activity Measurements for Enzyme Evaluation, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Part A Enzyme Engineering and Biotechnology (published online: 21 Apr 2010).
- Rorick, R.E., Nahar, N., and S.W. Pryor. 2011. Ethanol production from sugar beet pulp using Escherichia coli KO11 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Biological Engineering Transactions 3(4):199-209.
- Setter, C. and R. G. Lym. 2011. Weed control in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) used for biofuel production . Proc. Weed West. Weed Sci. Soc. 64:14.
- Xue, Q. 2011. Biomass composition of perennial grasses for biofuel production in North Dakota, USA. Biofuels 2(5): 1-14.
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