No Time to Lose on Bioenergy Self-Sufficiency, Expert Says

Dr. David Bransby describes himself as an extremely competitive man --- that coupled with the fact that as a naturalized and “very proud and patriotic” U.S. citizen he wants to see his adopted country make the leap into energy self-sufficiency through greater use of biofuels.

So far, America is trailing badly behind most of the rest of the world --- this despite a series of wakeup calls earlier this year that should have alerted U.S. policy makers to the risks at hand, Bransby said. The spate of hurricanes that wreaked havoc along the Gulf Coast was a prime example: They not only helped drive up the cost of oil and other fossil fuels, Bransby said, but underscored the damage caused to our environment by excessive dependence on nonrenewable fossil fuels.

Add to that the fact that U.S. demand now accounts for 25 percent of world consumption of fossil fuels, even though we own only 3 percent of the reserves --- a fact that “makes us incredibly vulnerable, Bransby said.

Roughly 60 percent of the fossil fuels we use are imported, and a big chunk of this --- 15 percent --- comes from the volatile Middle East, he said.

Most of this will never be replaced by domestic sources. Even so, it is possible to replace the share that comes from the Middle East with renewable biofuels produced domestically, says Bransby, an Auburn University professor of agronomy and soils and a nationally recognized authority on biofuel alternatives.

He contended that Americans will increasingly look to agriculture to supply these needs. In fact, Bransby said it is not unrealistic to assume that by 2025, as much as 35 percent of energy in the United States could be produced by farmers and foresters.

The technology already is available. What is lacking, Bransby says, are the policy incentives to encourage more players within the agricultural sector to make this leap.

“Some progress is being made, and interest is already strong, especially given the concerns about fossil fuels,” said Bransby, speaking at the Alabama Agriculture Energy Project, held Nov. 9 at Auburn University.

Even now, Alabama already has enough biomass to supply all of its residential power needs.

Bransby cites crop residues in the field and what is left behind after processing as examples of some of the biomass resources already widely available within the state. One prime example, he said, is cotton, a crop that produces millions of tons of residue that, for the most part, is left to decay on harvested fields.

“We’ve got half a million acres of cotton stalk that are right now going back into the soil,” he said. “We do need to put some back (into the soil to enhance quality), but not all of it.”

Other sources of biomass include gin trash, the stuff left behind from the processing of cotton fiber, and peanut hulls and other related by-products. Add to that corn and soybeans.

“We can grow energy crops --- corn and soybeans – really well, though most of our top soil is along the Gulf,” Bransby said.

Another lucrative biomass source is switchgrass.

“I take my students down every year to burn it to show that the grass not only is suited for raising cattle and to control soil erosion --- there’s a lot of energy in it too.”

There are also 10-million acres of bahiagrass and a half million acres of Bermudagrass commonly grown as forage crops, both of which just as easily could be grown as energy sources.

Likewise, annual grasses, another lucrative biofuel source, could be rotated with traditional row crops, Bransby says.

Other possibilities include castor beans and even sweet potatoes, he said.

Commercialization remains the key, Bransby stressed, but this will occur only when the right policy incentives are in place.

“There’s no question in my mind that policy is more important than technology,” he said. “There’s work to be done fine-tuning and improving technology, but there already is lots of technology out there.”

One vital change needed at the federal level is a willingness to fund commercial plants that incorporate emerging technology, he said. Current federal policies only allow for funding at the pilot-scale level --- a practice that leaves many embryonic companies in the lurch.

“We take them to the very last step and don’t help them past that point,” Bransby says. Unfortunately, he said, venture capitalists seldom step in to help these innovators complete the final step.

Aside from changes in federal incentives, he said more education and information are sorely needed.

“Education is probably our greatest need. None of this can be accomplished without education and information distribution.”

Posted by Jim Langcuster at November 10, 2005 05:01 PM | TrackBack