Costs of producing miscanthus and switchgrass for bioenergy in Illinois

Khanna, Madhu; Dhungana, Basanta R.; Clifton‐Brown, John

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2007.11.003

Cited by 356 publications

(278 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…68 h e best motivation for deciders and entrepreneurs to implement such large-scale biorei nery concepts for methane production from energy crops, is to see a strong potential for proi ts. have revenues that match these costs, the selling price for the purii ed methane should be at least €0.078/kWh, for revenues of €0.37, 1.08 and 0.13 million for the gate fees, the vehicle fuel and the digestate, respectively.…”

Section: Concerns and Future Trends For The Optimization Of The Net Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Biomethane production from starch and lignocellulosic crops: a comparative review

Frigon

Guiot

2010

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

204

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The methane produced from the anaerobic digestion of organic wastes and energy crops represents an elegant and economical means of generating renewable biofuel. Anaerobic digestion is a mature technology and is already used for the conversion of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes and excess primary and secondary sludge from waste‐water treatment plants. High methane yield up to 0.45 m3 STP CH4/kg volatile solids (VS) or 12 390 m3 STP CH4/ ha can be achieved with sugar and starch crops, although these cultures are competing with food and feed crops for high‐quality land. The cultivation of lignocellulosic crops on marginal and set‐aside lands is a more environmentally sound and sustainable option for renewable energy production. The methane yield obtained from these crops is lower, 0.17–0.39 m3 STP CH4/kg VS or 5400 m3 STP CH4/ha, as its conversion into methane is facing the same initial barrier as for the production of ethanol, for example, hydrolysis of the crops. Intensive research and development on efficient pre‐treatments is ongoing to optimize the net energy production, which is potentially greater than for liquid biofuels, since the whole substrate excepted lignin is convertible into methane. Copyright © 2010 Crown in the right of Canada

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Section: Concerns and Future Trends For The Optimization Of The Net Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Biomethane production from starch and lignocellulosic crops: a comparative review

Frigon

Guiot

2010

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

204

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“…However, we assume a yield of 60 gallons of ethanol/dry ton of feedstock in this study because yields that are 60-90% of the theoretical maximum are achieved in practice (35). A second assumption is that all feedstock for the refinery will be obtained within a 25 mile radius (36). It is further assumed that no external inputs of nutrients and water are applied to the feedstock, excepting those present in the degraded water sources, and that process energy is supplied by biomass.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biofuels, Land, and Water: A Systems Approach to Sustainability

Gopalakrishnan

Negri

Wang

et al. 2009

Environ. Sci. Technol.

105

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There is a strong societal need to evaluate and understand the sustainability of biofuels, especially because of the significant increases in production mandated by many countries, including the United States. Sustainability will be a strong factor in the regulatory environment and investments in biofuels. Biomass feedstock production is an important contributor to environmental, social, and economic impacts from biofuels. This study presents a systems approach where the agricultural, energy, and environmental sectors are considered as components of a single system, and environmental liabilities are used as recoverable resources for biomass feedstock production. We focus on efficient use of land and water resources. We conducted a spatial analysis evaluating marginal land and degraded water resources to improve feedstock productivity with concomitant environmental restoration for the state of Nebraska. Results indicate that utilizing marginal land resources such as riparian and roadway buffer strips, brownfield sites, and marginal agricultural land could produce enough feedstocks to meet a maximum of 22% of the energy requirements of the state compared to the current supply of 2%. Degraded water resources such as nitrate-contaminated groundwater and wastewater were evaluated as sources of nutrients and water to improve feedstock productivity. Spatial overlap between degraded water and marginal land resources was found to be as high as 96% and could maintain sustainable feedstock production on marginal lands. Other benefits of implementing this strategy include feedstock intensification to decrease biomass transportation costs, restoration of contaminated water resources, and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.

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“…Khanna et al (2008) investigate the costs of producing miscanthus and switchgrass for bioenergy in Illinois. It is assumed that the same equipment and practices can be used to harvest Phragmites since the crops are (structurally) similar to each other.…”

Section: Harvest Operation Economicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The goal is to find a crop that requires few inputs, grows quickly and/or on land not currently used for conventional row crops, produces a large yield, can be processed efficiently and is sustainable (Sims et al, 2006). Current studies are examining the feasibility of growing perennial grasses such as switchgrass (Panicum viragatum) and miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) in Illinois as biofuel feedstocks (e.g., Khanna et al, 2008). Switchgrass and miscanthus require few inputs, can have high yields even on marginal (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation and Optimization of a Constructed Wetland for Biomass Production and Nitrate Removal

Zygas

Eheart

Cai

2014

J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage.

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Recently there is growing concern about high nutrient loadings in surface waters as a result of intensive agriculture, resulting in hypoxia in costal ecosystems. There is simultaneous growing interest in the cultivation of perennial grasses for bio-ethanol production. Constructed wetlands offer a promising nutrient removal mechanism while also providing an ideal environment for the growth of such grasses. In the present work, a hypothetical wetland system is designed to treat non-point source nutrient loadings and produce harvestable biomass for ethanol production in central Illinois. Through the integration of a biomass production model, a nutrient removal model and a cost model, the relationship between the costs of wetland construction, benefits from biomass sales, and mass nutrient removal can be seen for various wetland sizes and water throughput capacities. Using genetic algorithms, the Pareto-optimal frontier showing the tradeoff between nutrient removal and the net cost of the wetland system, (accounting for revenue from biomass harvest) can be visualized.This analysis is demonstrated for a hypothetical wetland site near Camargo, Illinois which is assumed to draw water from the Embarras River. Through the simulation of several cost scenarios, the wetland is found to show a profit only when construction, operation and maintenance costs are excluded from the analysis. Results show a tradeoff between the amount of nitrate removed in the wetland via denitrification and biomass production For the example case, a 33.8 ha wetland with a 2.3 m 3 /s design pumping capacity was found to have the maximum cost efficiency with a cost of 4.8 $/kg of NO 3 -N removed. The results indicate that there is a unique efficiency-maximizing design for a wetland at a particular site. These results also indicate that a subsidy of at least 4.8 $/kg of NO 3 -N removed is necessary (assuming the biomass is sold for $58/ton) in order for a wetland at the hypothetical site to break even. Furthermore, if a market for nitrogen exists or if nutrient trading between point dischargers is allowed, it might be possible for a constructed wetland designed for biomass production to be profitable while providing water quality benefits.iii ACKOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to my co-advisers Wayland Eheart and Ximing Cai for their unwavering support, key insights, and patience.

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Costs of producing miscanthus and switchgrass for bioenergy in Illinois

Cited by 356 publications

References 22 publications

Biomethane production from starch and lignocellulosic crops: a comparative review

Biomethane production from starch and lignocellulosic crops: a comparative review

Biofuels, Land, and Water: A Systems Approach to Sustainability

Simulation and Optimization of a Constructed Wetland for Biomass Production and Nitrate Removal

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