University of Georgia Researchers to Examine Public Opinion on Biofuels Industry in Southeast

http://www.biofuelsjournal.com/info/bf_articles.html?ID=129046

Date Posted: December 18, 2012

Athens, GA—Public opinion and local support may very well be the linchpins that determine the future of bioenergy in the United States.

The Southeastern U.S. is poised to become a major producer of bioenergy, and a wide range of bioenergy technologies are now in various stages of development in the region.

Will residents support the new ventures?

Who will grow the biomass?

Will those in established industries fight against it?

These are but a few of the critical questions that citizens, policymakers and investors must answer if bioenergy is to become a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

Now, researchers from the University of Georgia and the U.S. Forest Service are conducting studies in locations throughout the biomass-rich Southeast to find answers to these questions and more.

They hope their unique method of investigation, using a mix of complementary ethnographic methods, will provide a detailed understanding of public opinion about bioenergy while also providing policymakers and business owners with the information they need to make sustainable energy production thrive in their communities.

"We're planning to work on the ground throughout the Southeast," said Sarah Hitchner, a co-investigator and post-doctoral research associate at UGA's Center for Integrative Conservation Research.

"A lot of people talk about biofuels as being an obvious win-win, but it's more complicated than that."

Beginning in Soperton, Ga.-formerly home to Range Fuels and now the Freedom Pines Biorefinery owned by LanzaTech-and then moving on to other areas in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and North Carolina, the researchers will participate in the daily activities of community members and conduct in-depth interviews with a variety of stakeholders, such as landowners, industry representatives, potential employees and county commissioners.

"A big part of this kind of research is to listen to as many perspectives as possible," said Peter Brosius, professor of anthropology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, director of the Center for Integrative Conservation Research and co-investigator in the study.

"From there you begin to see patterns emerge."

This approach, which allows researchers to develop familiarity and rapport with community members over an extended period of time, gives them a more detailed understanding of the various points of view that might not be fully captured by other less comprehensive research methods such as phone interviews or mail-in surveys, Brosius said.

"Researchers across the world have been developing technologies for the conversion of biomass resources into energy and fuels, but we don't have a very good understanding of the effects that a large-scale biomass energy industry may have on the communities involved," said Ryan Adolphson, director of public service and outreach in the College of Engineering and associate director of the Bioenergy Systems Research Institute.

Adolphson works with Georgia companies and state and federal policymakers on bioenergy industry development.

"This study will make great strides toward helping us understand those effects and assist in the development of a more effective biomass energy industry," Adolphson said.

Supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which funds research projects on sustainable bioenergy through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, this integrative research aims to explain not only whether people support or oppose bioenergy development, but also what led them to form their opinions and what policies, institutions and events may have influenced their decisions.

"USDA and President Obama are committed to producing clean energy right here at home, to not only break our dependence on foreign oil, but also boost rural economies," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

"These projects will give us the scientific information needed to support biofuel production and create co-products that will enhance the overall value of a bio-based economy.

"Today, with a strong and diversified U.S. agricultural sector, the American automobile industry has a greater incentive for expanding use of bio-based products while supporting good-paying jobs here in the United States."

The researchers stress that as alternative fuel and sustainable industry grow, it will become increasingly important for potential companies to identify and understand the social and economic factors working for and against new ventures.

"This research has the potential to inform the policy process, but we are also pioneering a new method that is applicable to other sustainability issues," Brosius said.

"There is a lot of activity right now in bioenergy with different plants being opened and a lot of proposed plants using a combination of private investment and government incentives to get started," said John Schelhas, a research forester with the U.S. Forest Service and project co-investigator.

"We're looking at specific sites where bioenergy development is taking place, and we're interested in talking with community members and landowners who have various degrees of investment and interest in bioenergy."

Ultimately, the researchers hope that this project will not only yield important information about the future of bioenergy in the South but also serve as a springboard for future research designed to examine the social complexities of bioenergy development by investigating diverse perspectives and interests within the communities in which these new and proposed facilities are embedded.

"It's essential to understand the way people perceive, understand and talk about biofuels as bioenergy industries develop in this region," Schelhas said.

"And it seems like we will be able to provide more clarity about that."

For more information, call 706-542-5222.

USDA Grants Support Sustainable Bioenergy Production

http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2012news/12141_afri_bioenergy.html

Media Contact: Jennifer Martin, (202) 720-8188

LANSING, Mich., Dec. 14, 2012—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $10 million in research grants to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs. Vilsack highlighted the announcement today with a visit to Michigan State University, a grant awardee. The Secretary also pointed to a recent study released by Iowa State University (ISU), and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which finds that while the use of biobased products in automobile manufacturing is increasing, there are still many parts in the top-selling automobiles manufactured in the United States that may be replaced with biobased materials. 

“USDA and President Obama are committed to producing clean energy right here at home, to not only break our dependence on foreign oil, but also boost rural economies,” said Vilsack. “These projects will give us the scientific information needed to support biofuel production and create co-products that will enhance the overall value of a biobased economy. Today, with a strong and diversified U.S. agricultural sector, the American automobile industry has a greater incentive for expanding use of biobased products while supporting good-paying jobs here in the United States.”

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the grants through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). AFRI’s sustainable bioenergy challenge area targets the development of regional systems for the sustainable production of bioenergy and biobased products that: contribute significantly to reducing dependence on foreign oil; have net positive social, environmental, and rural economic impacts; and are compatible with existing agricultural systems.

The long-term goal for the research projects, which were selected through a highly competitive process, is to implement sustainable regional systems that materially deliver liquid transportation biofuels to help meet the Energy Independence and Security Act goal of 36 billion gallons per year of biofuels by 2022. The programs focus on the many environmental, social and economic benefits and trade-offs associated with decisions and policies regarding the where, when, and how of national and regional biofuels development. Projects were awarded in four areas: 1) policy options for and impacts on regional biofuels production systems, 2) impacts of regional bioenergy feedstock production systems on wildlife and pollinators, 3) socioeconomic impacts of biofuels on rural communities, and 4) environmental implications of direct and indirect land use change.

Fiscal year 2012 awards include:

• University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., $36,000
• Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz., $350,000
• University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., $345,689
• University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $496,996
• University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.,  $497,851
• Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, $493,210
• University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, $499,009
• University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, $350,000
• Michigan State University, Lansing, Mich., $349,695
• University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn., $498,786
• University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn., $349,996
• Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Miss., $273,120
• University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., $499,447
• Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Mo., $94,258
• Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, N.J., $349,963
• Duke University, Durham, N.C., $349,084
• University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla., $466,534
• Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., $349,624
• Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa., $149,977
• Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa., $348,959
• Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., $50,000
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn., $350,000
• Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, $255,972
• Texas AgriLife Extension, College Station, Texas, $499,619
• Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $349,993
• West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.V., $349,952
• University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., $496,109
• University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., $345,327
• USDA Agricultural Research Service, Peoria, Ill., $500,000

AFRI is NIFA’s flagship competitive grant program and was established under the 2008 Farm Bill. AFRI supports work in six priority areas: plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition and health; renewable energy, natural resources and environment; agriculture systems and technology; and agriculture economics and rural communities.

Each award was made through a competitive selection process. An external peer review panel reviewed all proposals and made award decisions based on scientific merit to the best and brightest scientists across the nation.

The ISU report, Biobased Automobile Parts Investigation, shows that “the history of biobased automobile parts begins early in the development of automobiles themselves. During the 1930s, automobile pioneer Henry Ford began developing soy-based automobile parts.” The report goes on to highlight how a variety of U.S. automobile manufacturers are showing a greater commitment to exploring biobased options, and provides a variety of resources for policymakers and other decision-makers interested in exploring the issue. 

Creating new markets for the nation's agricultural products through biobased manufacturing is one of the many steps the Obama Administration has taken over the past four years to strengthen the rural economy. Since August 2011, the White House Rural Council has supported a broad spectrum of rural initiatives including a Presidential Memorandum to create jobs in rural America through biobased and sustainable product procurement; a $350 million commitment in SBA funding to rural small businesses over the next 5 years; launching a series of conferences to connect investors with rural start-ups; creating capital marketing teams to pitch federal funding opportunities to private investors interested in making rural connections; and making job search information available at 2,800 local USDA offices nationwide.

Plant Gene for Improved Biofuel Processing

http://www.thebioenergysite.com/news/11541/plant-gene-for-improved-biofuel-processing

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

 

US - Since 2007, researchers at the BioEnergy Science Center, one of three Department of Energy-funded research centres, have partnered to figure out how to break down plants so that they easily release the simple sugars that can be processed into biofuels. It’s a breakthrough that could make biofuels cost competitive with gasoline. 

 

Now, University of Georgia researchers, who are part of the team, have taken an important step toward that goal by identifying a previously uncharacterized gene that plays a major role in cell wall development of Arabidopsis plants, a discovery that promises to help turn plants into biofuel more efficiently.

The team of researchers found that the gene GXMT1 is responsible for directing a key step in the development of the plant polymer xylan, a principal component of cell walls in woody biomass that make it resistant to biofuel conversion.

“Our goal is to figure out how the plants make this polymer,” said William York, the study’s principle investigator and faculty member in the UGA Complex Carbohydrate Research Center.

“If we can manipulate that process, we can change how plants make their cell walls, which could make them easier to turn into liquid fuel.”

As a member of the BioEnergy Science Center, York joins multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research teams pursuing the fundamental scientific breakthroughs needed to make the production of cellulosic biofuels derived from non-food plant fiber cost effective on a national scale.

York explained that the problem with many biomass plant candidates is not that they are difficult to grow or harvest, but that they are difficult to process. In order to make biofuels, processing facilities use microbes to ferment the naturally occurring plant sugars into ethanol and other valuable products, much in the same way distilleries make alcoholic beverages.

But plants have evolved powerful defenses against the microbes researchers use to break down biomass for fermentation. This research demonstrates that manipulation of biomass structure at the molecular level could yield a crop that is more easily converted into biofuel.

“We want to develop strains of plants that are strong and grow well but break down easily when we want them to,” said York, who is also a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the UGA Bioenergy Systems Research Institute.

In their paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers identified a mutant GXMT1 plant that produces structurally modified xylan that is more easily released when the biomass is treated with hot water. The release of xylan during this treatment will ultimately make it easier for microbes to digest the woody fibres and convert them to ethanol.

If researchers can find ways to capitalise on this mutant version of the plant and alter this gene without compromising the structural integrity of the wood, they can begin the process of developing plants specifically designed for biofuel conversion.

While the development of efficient biofuels is a major driving force behind their work, this research also contributes significantly to the understanding of basic plant development.

Before their discovery, GXMT1 was categorized in scientific literature as a protein of unknown function, but it is now the first enzyme shown to catalyze the formation of methyl-glucuronic acid, a key structural component of xylan in plant biomass.

Ultimately, York and his collaborators hope that their research will open the door to new ways of manipulating plants and making them more useful to humans.

“We use plants for everything: We eat plants, we build our homes out of plants, we make all sorts of things with them,” York said.

“If we can change them, we can make them easier to work with.”

Other UGA researchers on the study were primary authors Breeanna R. Urbanowicz and Maria J. Pena and co-authors Jason Backe, Malcolm A. O’Neill, Alan G. Darvill, Supriya Ratnaparkhe and Harry J. Gilbert. Collaborators and co-authors from BESC were Hongjia Li and Charles Wyman of the University of California Riverside and Marcus Foston and Arthur J. Ragauskas of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

TheBioenergySite News Desk

Georgia Voices: Biofuel research hopes growing at UGA Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Georgia Voices Biofuel research hopes growing at UGA

http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/19948527/article-Georgia-Voices--Biofuel-research-hopes-growing-at-UGA?instance=secondary_story_left_column

by The Columbus Ledger-enquirer

 

August 28, 2012 01:10 AM

 

The United States’ ethanol experiment has met with only limited success at best. Our increasingly critical need for alternatives to fossil fuels has been a case of good intentions that haven’t, or at least haven’t yet, worked out the way we’d like.

The drawbacks are familiar. Most ethanol is now made from corn, the growing of which is an energy-intensive process. It’s almost the definition of a Catch-22: A substance distilled to create energy takes a lot of energy — i.e., other fuels — to make. It’s like a joke about a guy who eats to get the strength he needs to work off what he ate.

As if that weren’t enough of a challenge, corn-based ethanol also takes a lot of water. At a time when much of the country, including many corn-growing regions, is suffering from prolonged rainfall shortages and in some cases severe drought, a water-intensive process is as problematic as an energy-intensive one.

The difficulties of synthesizing corn-based ethanol have, not surprisingly, drawn fire from both thoughtful critics and usual-suspect hecklers. But somewhere between stubbornly plugging away at a process that costs at least as much as it yields, and surrendering to perpetual petrofuel addiction and the political and economic ransom — domestic as well as foreign — we will have to pay as a consequence, there must be some fertile middle ground.

Researchers at the University of Georgia may be close to finding it. A report by Susan Mittleman on Georgia Public Broadcasting and transcribed on the Public Broadcasting Atlanta website (pba.org) describes a promising new process for making ethanol and other biofuels from vegetation common to this area, such as switchgrass and pine or poplar trees. The idea of making fuel from biomass is not new. But like corn-based ethanol, fuel synthesized from biomass has so far been too expensive to make it practical. The difference, as UGA geneticist Janet Westpheling explained, is genetics — manipulating the DNA to make breaking down the raw materials cheaper and easier.

“Part of the conversion of really tough wood stuff like that,” Westpheling explained to GPB, “is that plants have evolved over millions of years to not be degraded by bacteria and the soil. But we work on bacteria that can eat the stuff … These organisms can do that without enzymes, without pre-treatment, which means they can do it economically.”

The other huge advantage, she said, is that such plants are plentiful in the Southeast and are “naturally drought resistant.”

We’re still a long way from being able to tell the Middle East to take its oil and … well, sell it elsewhere. But we’re getting just a little closer.