Switchgrass has long been a staple of farmers. It is used as a buffer zone and soil erosion control as feed for livestock, fuel and power needs.
However, when President Bush introduced the biofuel initiative in his 2006 State of the Union address, he pushed the use of this native grassland as an energy crop. The
Biofuels Initiative is an important part of the President's Advanced Energy Initiative. The goal is to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil suppliers by more than 75% of oil imports by 2025.
The aim is to accomplish this with the use of nonfood based biomass, such as agricultural waste, trees, forest residues, and perennial grasses specifically switchgrass to produce energy fuels.
When distilled switchgrass produces ethanol, an alcohol that fuels vehicles. Currently ethanol is blended at a ratio of 15 percent to 85 percent of gasoline and sold as E85.
Switchgrass or Tall Panic Grass is a short rhizomatous plant. It is highly adaptable for it can be planted in different parts of the country of varying climate conditions. It is also drought resistant.
From planting to grooming and harvesting, making biofuel from switchgrass requires less energy.
Semi-annual harvest
Switch is a perennial crop. This means that you can harvest twice a year for almost 10 years before you need to replant your crop. It also grows rapidly, absorbs the energy of the sun and converts that energy into cellulose. Ethanol is extracted from cellulose by distillation.
High yield per acre
Results from among 19 BFDP (Bioenergy Feedstock Development Program) research sites on both the Eastern and Central United States have shown that switchgrass can be harvested at 15 tons an acre. When distilled into ethanol, this yields 1,500 gallons of ethanol an acre. When averaged on a sixyear basis, this means a yield of 115,000 of gallons of ethanol from each acre.
Cost efficient
Results from a study undertaken by the University of California Berkeley, has found out that it takes more energy to produce gasoline than it does to produce ethanol.
Multiple uses
Expected advances in gasification technologies will yield other useful fuels: diesel fuel, methane gas, and methanol.
Eco-friendly
switchgrass does not threaten soil fertility with the addition of organic matter. The
switchgrass has a complex system of stems and roots. This system reaches deeper parts of the soil, keeps it in place and prevents soil erosion.
Switchgrass is a reliable buffer. Farmers plant these grasses along wetlands and steam banks to filter out pesticides and prevent these dangerous chemicals from entering the water supply.
Switchgrass removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and puts these back in the soil. Fossil fuels, on the other hand release huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, increasing air pollution and worsening the greenhouse gas effects.
Financially profitable
It prices much less to develop switchgrass. When you upload authorities tax incentives and presents elevating switchgrass may be as worthwhile as extracting fossil fuels.
These are the prevailing dangers of the use of switchgrass as the principle supply of biofuels.
The want to enhance pretreatment technology
Current technology aren't green in extracting better yields from switchgrass. R&D efforts must accurate this.
The want to allocate land for switchgrass
Is there to be had agricultural land to plant switchgrass? A gadget ought to be set in area to make sure there's land for each switchgrass and meals crops.
The use of switchgrass as an electricity crop is decidedly feasible from the economic, production, and environmental aspects.
However, the achievement of switchgrass as an electricity crop will rely upon those key factors: authorities guidelines and funding, R&D efforts, technological improvements and car efficiency.
You must be logged in to post a comment.