21 research outputs found

    Energy and precious fuels requirements of fuel alcohol production. Volume 2, appendices A and B: Ethanol from grain

    Get PDF
    Energy currently used in grain production, the effect of ethanol production on agricultural energy consumption, energy credits for ethanol by-products, and land availability and the potential for obtaining ethanol from grain are discussed. Dry milling, wet milling, sensitivity analysis, potential for reduced energy consumption are also discussed

    U.S. Billion-ton Update: Biomass Supply for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry

    Get PDF
    The Report, Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply (generally referred to as the Billion-Ton Study or 2005 BTS), was an estimate of “potential” biomass within the contiguous United States based on numerous assumptions about current and future inventory and production capacity, availability, and technology. In the 2005 BTS, a strategic analysis was undertaken to determine if U.S. agriculture and forest resources have the capability to potentially produce at least one billion dry tons of biomass annually, in a sustainable manner—enough to displace approximately 30% of the country’s present petroleum consumption. To ensure reasonable confidence in the study results, an effort was made to use relatively conservative assumptions. However, for both agriculture and forestry, the resource potential was not restricted by price. That is, all identified biomass was potentially available, even though some potential feedstock would more than likely be too expensive to actually be economically available. In addition to updating the 2005 study, this report attempts to address a number of its shortcoming

    Estimating region specific costs to produce and deliver switchgrass.

    No full text
    Abstract Feedstock costs are expected to be a major component of the cost of producing bio-based products from lignocellulosic biomass. The economic viability of using switchgrass to produce feedstock will depend on its cost relative to alternatives. The purpose of this chapter is to present estimates of the cost to produce, harvest, store, and transport switchgrass biomass. Enterprise budgets and sensitivity analysis are used to produce cost estimates. Delivered switchgrass costs can vary widely, depending on yields, input prices (seed, fertilizer and lime, and diesel fuel), input quantities (fertilizer and lime, herbicides), and land costs. Establishment costs amortized over 10 years range from 38to38 to 112 ha -1 and reseeding costs (25% of land in second year) (amortized over 9 years) range from 10to10 to 18 ha -1 . Baler productivity is important, and can impact costs up to a 16dryMg1.Costsofswitchgrassdeliveredrangefromaslowas16 dry Mg -1 . Costs of switchgrass delivered range from as low as 42 to well over $100 dry Mg -1 if yields are low. The ultimate challenge is to formulate a profitable switchgrass production, storage, and delivery system simultaneously with profitable conversion to bio-based products

    Feedstock Crop Production Costs and Biofuel Feedstock Input Costs Associated with the Production of Energy Cane and Sweet Sorghum in the Southeastern USA

    Get PDF
    © 2017, The Author(s). Concentration of biofuel feedstock crop production in specific regions of the USA is dependent on the relative comparative advantage of production in a specific region based on several agronomic and economic factors. For the southeastern region of the USA, energy cane and sweet sorghum have been identified as two feedstock crops with the greatest potential for further development of production. This study utilized field trial data from yield studies in Louisiana to develop estimates of feedstock crop production costs and biofuel feedstock input costs for these two crops. Results indicated that feedstock production costs on a harvest yield basis, as well as the related dry matter basis, were heavily dependent on yield level. Economic research from this study indicated that energy cane had a slight cost advantage compared with sweet sorghum, although production of sorghum in certain periods during the growing season was very cost competitive with energy cane
    corecore