In Tennessee, Genera Energy’s single pass forage harvest system, also known as a field chopping system, set new records this year for switchgrass harvesting efficiency. With this harvest, Genera continues to optimize its efficient year-round, just-in-time biomass harvesting and delivery systems. “We are very pleased with the success of this harvest and how our innovations […]
In Illinois, a recent study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne simulated a side-by-side comparison of the yields and costs of producing ethanol using miscanthus, switchgrass, and corn stover. The fast-growing energy grass miscanthus was the clear winner. Models predict that miscanthus will have higher yield and profit, particularly when grown in poor-quality […]
In Tennessee, Genera Energy is on the verge of closing its latest round of VC funding as the company—originally created to supply switchgrass to a would-be future cellulosic ethanol plant with DuPont—moves into advising and consulting services, helping other companies grow, store and process the crop. A future ethanol plant in the area seems to […]
In Washington, the release of a new type of switchgrass specifically designed for bioenergy generation has been announced by USDA researchers and their partners. Agricultural Research Service scientists have spent decades working on different projects that contributed to the development of the cultivar “Liberty,” which can yield 8 tons of biomass per acre.
Two gems from the University of Illinois on miscanthus. First, this one that found that miscanthus and other biofuels crops actually reduce the escape of nitrogen into the environment, according to a study performed at the University of Illinois. The study compared miscanthus, switchgrass, and mixed prairie species against a traditional corn and soybean rotation, […]
In California, researchers from the DOE-Office of Science funded Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), in conjunction with staff from the DOE-Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funded Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, published the paper, “Scale-Up and Evaluation of High Solid Ionic Liquid Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Switchgrass,” in […]
In Illinois, researchers from the University of Illinois show that in the country’s first long-term studies into miscanthus that even though production slips after five years, biomass production is still double that of switchgrass. The results in the US are even more promising than those from studies done in Europe. Miscanthus was grown in seven […]
In Tennessee, Genera Energy’s partnership with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture for bulk-handling and processing of switchgrass has come to a close after $5m in funding since 2009. The partnership was able to develop systems based on material characteristics such as weight, particle size, bulk density, moisture content, among other factors. The team […]
Today on Twitter: HanifHaroon Designer sugarcane, not switchgrass, being retooled to produce biofuels – AgriLife Today safoodindustry Even so-called ‘good’ biofuels need safeguards to ensure that they don’t damage biodiversity or displace other crops. QUnited19 More efficient production of biofuels from waste with the help of modified yeasts
In Kentucky, switchgrass trials for biomass fuel production have been successful both in their production and in their 10% co-firing with coal, but costs remains the key issue. It still costs more to grow switchgrass than it does to buy coal. Until state mandates require plants to reduce their GHGs, forcing them to switch to […]
