Bioenergy at

UF/IFAS

•Jay

•Milton Marianna•

•Quincy•Live Oak

Gainesville

•Apopka

•Brooksville

•Lake Alfred

•Balm

• Immokalee

• Homestead

Bioenergy Feedstocksin Florida

15 million acres of forest land10 million acres of farm land

• #1 in sugarcane and citrus• #1 in forest residues• #1 in urban wood waste

PotentialEnergy Crop in

FL

Potential Output

(Dry Tons/Acre/Year)

Potential Acres for

Production

Potential Total Dry

Tons (millions)

Is It Ready for

Production? Yes/No

Research Projects

Underway?Yes/No

Agricultural CropsSugarcane 25 250,000 6.25 Yes YesSweet Sorghum 13 100,000 1.3 Yes YesBunch Grasses (elephantgrass, energycane)

22 100,000 2.2 Yes Yes

Silage Corn 3 100,000 0.3 Yes YesPotatoes 3 50,000 0.15 Yes Yes

Sweet Potatoes 2 20,000 0.04 Yes Yes

Hay 2.5 500,000 1.25 Yes YesForest Trees

Pines 8 5,000,000 40 Yes YesEucalyptus 14 1,000,000 14 Yes Yes

Cottonwood 10 1,000,000 10 Yes YesAgricultural & Forestry Waste

Veg/Fruit Waste 0.8 500,000 0.4 Yes Yes

Urb. Tree Waste 1 5,000,000 5 Yes YesFor./Mill Residue 1.4 9,000,000 12.6 Yes Yes

Sweet Sorghum

Silage Corn

Grasses

Trees

Urban Tree Waste

Vegetable Waste

Sugarcane

Data Compiled and Calculated by Drs. Mary Duryea & George Hochmuth; UF/IFAS; May 2007

Our Potential in Florida:

Agricultural Crops: 11.49 mill tons/yr

Tree Crops: 64 mill. tons/yr

Ag/Forestry Waste: 18 mill. tons/yr

93.5 million dry tons biomass x (60 to 100 gal ethanol/ton) =

• Florida currently uses 8.6 billion gallons of gasoline per year

Cellulosic Biomass for Ethanol

93.5 million dry tons/yr

inFlorida

(7% of U.S. total)

Potential Production of Ethanol

Sweet Sorghum

Silage Corn

Grasses

Trees

Urban Tree Waste

Vegetable Waste

Sugarcane

5 to 9 billiongallons of

ethanolper year in

Florida

The DOE reports that the U.S. can produce over 1.3 billion tons of cellulosic biomass per year.

Acid Hydrolysis

Hemicellulose Syrup

Fiber Residue (cellulose+lignin)

Residue to Boiler

Beer

E.coli (cellulase)

K.oxytoca (cellulase)

FungalCellulase

Nutrients Nutrients

SSF

ETHANOETHANOLL

Di

s

t

i

l

l

a

t

i

on

Cellulase

Co-products

Syrup“Detox”

Biomass to Ethanol ProcessBiomass to Ethanol Process

Team headed by Dr. Lonnie Team headed by Dr. Lonnie IngramIngram

• Over 20 patents for cellulosic ethanolOver 20 patents for cellulosic ethanol•e.g. “Ethanol production from e.g. “Ethanol production from lignocellulose”, “Ethanol lignocellulose”, “Ethanol production using engineered production using engineered E.coli”E.coli”

• 2 spin-off companies2 spin-off companies• Verenium (Ethanol)Verenium (Ethanol)• BioEnergy (Organic Acids)BioEnergy (Organic Acids)

UF/IFAS&

Cellulosic Ethanol

• New Center of Excellence – Biofuel Pilot Plant $2.25 million – under construction in Gainesville

• New Research and Demonstration Cellulosic Ethanol Plant$20 million from State Legislature– To be located at FL Crystals near Belle Glade

Goals =

• To accelerate commercial development of cellulosic ethanol processes and

• To provide alternative income sources for Florida agriculture and forestry.

UF/IFAS & Bioenergy:

• Developing Energy Crops: Increasing yield Improving processing efficiency

1. Developing Energy Crops –Energycane, Grasses, and Sweet Sorghum

• 45 sugarcane hybrids selected for biomass production are being evaluated at Everglades REC

• The best performing hybrids will be evaluated for cellulosic conversion to ethanol

• hybrids could produce over 2,000 gallons of ethanol per acre

1. Developing Energy Crops –Grasses -- High Biomass Crops

• Other high biomass crops being investigated include:

– Giant reed– Erianthus– Elephantgrass– Miscanthus

• Research is being conducted to:– Determine the best

varieties for Florida– Evaluate fertilizer and

water requirements

• Results will help investors and growers make informed decisions on sweet sorghum as an energy crop

1. Developing Energy Crops –Sweet Sorghum

John DavisMolecular Genetics/Genomics

Dudley HuberQuantitative Genetics/Tree Improvement

Matias KirstQuantitative Genetics/Genomics

Eric JokelaProduction Ecology/Silviculture

Tim MartinTree Physiology/Ecophysiology

Gary PeterBiochemistry/Molecular Genetics

Multidisciplinary Forest Genomics Team

2. Developing Energy Crops –Improving Processing Efficiency

wood specific gravity

Wood properties are genetically controlled.

cell wall chemistry

lignin

hemicellulose

cellulose

early late

2. Developing Energy Crops –Improving Processing Efficiency

Target Traits for Bioenergy Production

• Fast Growth - high yield per unit input

• Biological Conversion– High carbohydrate content– High ‘easy-to-utilize’

carbohydrates– Low lignin, low extractives

• Thermal Conversion– High energy content– High wood density, low water– High lignin, high extractives

cell wall chemistry

lignin

hemicellulose

cellulose

2. Developing Energy Crops –Improving Processing Efficiency

2. Developing Energy Crops –Improving Processing Efficiency

Discovered a new gene that will help ethanol production –

Naturally occurring gene in the tree species Populus Leads to a reduction in lignin content by almost half Results in faster growth and Has higher cellulose content. This combination is highly favorable for increased ethanol production.

Environmental Impacts & SustainabilityWater, Waste, Air, Soil, Wildlife, Climate, Energy Balance,

Life Cycle Studies, …

Energy Crops and Agricultural & Forestry

WasteCrops: Grasses,

Sugarcane, Sorghum, Trees; Waste: Forest &

Mill Residue, Urban Wood Waste, Dairy Waste, Bagasse, …

Conversion EngineeringHydrolysis /

Fermentation/ Distillation,

Thermal Conversion, Anaerobic Digestion,

Gasification, ….

BioenergyCellulosic Ethanol,

Biodiesel, Biogas,

Bioelectricity, Bioproducts,

Butanol; By-products, ….

Economics & PolicySubsidies, Incentives, Taxes, Rural Development,

Incorporating Market Externalities e.g. C Credits, …

Bioenergy Research & Extension at UF/IFAS

We can:• Advance the science of bioenergy.• Accelerate the commercialization of renewable

biofuels and chemicals.• Contribute substantially to global sustainable

energy supply.

With:

UF’s expertise in bioenergy+

UF/Industry/Government/Private partnerships+

Florida’s capacity to grow biomass