Biomass Plan Could Bolster Energy Supply
May 20 - News Sentinel
Bob Perlack, a resource economist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was traveling at the time and didn't get to hear President Bush's April 27 speech on energy policy. But Perlack admits he was "a little disappointed" about what he heard from various reports.
What seemed to be missing from the agenda was development of U.S. biomass
resources, which, according to a report co-authored by Perlack, could help
alleviate some of the problems.
Just a week before Bush's speech, ORNL issued a press release touting the new
report and outlining a national biomass plan that could - by the year 2030 -
take care of a third of the U.S. demand for transportation fuels.
Biomass, for those unfamiliar with the term, is any kind of organic matter
that's available on a renewable or recurring basis. It could be switchgrass and
fast-growing trees or the stalks, cobs and other leftover materials from corn
production.
According to Perlack, corn is a particularly attractive source of biomass
because there are at least 60 million dry tons of corn stover - that's the
leftover product - generated annually in the United States.
"That's lignocellulosic material that can be converted into ethanol, and
it is available today," the ORNL researcher said.
While Perlack and others engaged in biomass research occasionally may feel
slighted or undervalued, their goals are, for the most part, long term.
Perlack, who works in the lab's environmental sciences division, said the
timeline for establishing a large-scale biorefinery industry is somewhere
between 2030 and 2050.
The new report focused mostly on whether there are sufficient land resources
to produce feedstocks necessary for a major biomass program in the United
States. The study also examined the economic viability.
The U.S. Department of Energy sponsored the report, and ORNL researchers
collaborated with colleagues from the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of
Agriculture's Research Service.
About half of the 2,263 million acres of land in the United States has
potential for growing biomass, with the target areas being agricultural and
forested sites.
"Biomass recently surpassed hydropower as the largest domestic source of
renewable energy and currently provides over 3 percent of the total energy
consumption in the United States," the report said.
Researchers estimated the biomass potential at more than 1.3 billion dry tons
per year, roughly seven times what is produced currently.
"Biomass is particularly attractive because it is the only current
renewable source of liquid transportation fuel," the report said.
"This, of course, makes it an invaluable way to reduce oil imports - one of
our most pressing energy needs."
Besides ethanol, Perlack said biomass could be converted into a number of
chemicals to replace petroleum products and also could be used to produce
electricity. He outlined a scenario in which a biorefinery would produce a range
of products and sell surplus electricity to the local power grid.
A boost in biomass could increase energy security in the United States by
making it less dependent on foreign oil supplies, the report said. The change in
emphasis also could reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, which are associated
with burning fossil fuels.
There also could be benefits to the economy, especially in the Midwest farm
belt and the South - the two areas most suitable for high-growth crops, Perlack
said.
The report is titled, "Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and
Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual
Supply." It is not yet officially published but available online at http://feedstockreview.ornl.gov/pdf/billion_ton_vision.pdf
.
Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329 or munger@knews.com
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