Should We Replace Oil With Switchgrass?

April 03, 2008

I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty bummed every time I pull my aging, bumper-sticker laden Saturn sedan up to a gas station pump, and not just because I know that filling the tank is going to eat another chunk out of my bank balance. Since I work out of my home, I don’t drive as much as I used to, but even the 6,000 miles that I put on the odometer each year puts about 2.1 tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, according to this handy dandy carbon footprint travel calculator that I recently found on the Web. Neither do I much like the idea that I’m contributing to the ongoing American orgy of oil consumption that some critics say finances terrorism and/or props up authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. (Of course, it should be mentioned that according to the U.S. Department of Energy, our biggest foreign oil source is decidedly non-authoritarian, non-terroristic Canada.) But I’m in a bind. I can’t afford right now to trade in my circa-1997 clunker for one of those spiffy Toyota Prius hybrids and then shell out another $6,000 or so for the aftermarket modification that’ll enable it to run primarily on electricity. By the same token, I don’t want to feel all angst-ridden every time I get the urge to roll over to the local American Apparel store and buy some hip-looking '70s retro tube socks.

Finding an alternative fuel to replace gasoline, one that would work in old-fashioned internal combustion engines like the one my Saturn has, would be the ideal short-term fix. For years, agribusiness and Midwestern politicians have been touting corn ethanol as the panacea for our plight — one that, perhaps not coincidentally, would also jack up the market price of the crop from which it is made. But switching to corn ethanol wouldn’t do that much to reduce our energy consumption, since according to this CNN.com article, the fuel yields only 40 percent more energy than it takes to cultivate and distill it. It wouldn’t help much with greenhouse gas emissions, either, because burning it produces only 10 percent to 15 percent less of those emissions than gasoline. Beyond that, corn-based ethanol in some ways might actually exacerbate global warming, because as this article explains, it causes U.S. farmers to grow corn instead of soybeans, creating an economic incentive for Brazilian farmers to slash and burn down more of the Amazon rain forest so the land can be used for soy cultivation.

But there is another possibility. I’m enthused about a study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, entitled “Net Energy of Cellulosic Ethanol from Switchgrass.” The study focused upon switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a hardy plant that covered great stretches of the North American landscape in the days before farmers supplanted it with food crops and pastureland, and its potential as raw material to make cellulosic ethanol fuel. After switchgrass was grown at 10 farms over a five-year period, researchers found that the resulting biomass was capable of generating more than five times as much energy as it took to cultivate it. Moreover, when the fuel made from the switchgrass was burned, the estimated greenhouse gas emissions were 94 percent lower than what would have been emitted by an equivalent amount of gasoline. Furthermore, cellulosic ethanol isn’t going to put a dent into food crop production or endanger the rain forest, because the hardy, fast-growing perennial can be grown in the U.S. on land  that’s unsuitable for other types of farming.

One of the reseachers, U.S. Department of Agriculture geneticist Ken Vogel, explained the switchgrass study’s significance to the Omaha World Herald:

"This clearly demonstrates that switchgrass is not only energy efficient, but can be used in a renewable biofuel economy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance rural economies," Vogel said.

So what is the downside? Well, critics have argued that cellulosic ethanol would be too expensive to produce in large enough quantities, because turning it into fuel requires enzymes that first have to be slowly and laboriously extracted from organisms such as the fungus Trichoderma reesei, which, unlike our own stomachs, can digest cellulose. That’s why one of corn ethanol’s congressional champions, House Agriculture Committee chairman Colin Peterson of Minnesota, recently predicted that switchgrass is at least a decade away from being a viable alternative to gasoline. "I'm not sure cellulosic ethanol will ever get off the ground,” Reuters quoted him as saying. (Peterson’s home state, it should be mentioned, grows a lot of corn.)

But it turns out that at least two companies, Illinois-based Coskata and the Alternative Energy Technology Center in Texas, are now saying that they can produce cellulosic ethanol for less than $1 a gallon, which would make it significantly cheaper than corn ethanol, and way cheaper than gasoline. And that’s just the start. As this Wired article details, scientists are racing to find cheaper, more efficient methods, such as a genetically engineered microorganism that  would consume cellulose and excrete ethanol, without an intermediate enzyme-extraction process.

Cellulosic ethanol — combined, of course, with the use of other alternative energy sources and increased conservation — seems to me like the obvious way to go. So obvious, in fact, that these days even the ex-oilman currently occupying the White House is talking enthusiastically about using “stalk grass” and wood chips to power our automobiles. But money speaks more truth about priorities, and the actual amount of federal funding for developing cellulosic ethanol technology in the Department of Energy’s FY 2008 budget request is an underwhelming $179 billion. To put things in perspective, the U.S. spends about twice that much each day to fight the war in Iraq. (That’s according to the Iraq Insider blog.)

So here’s my proposal. Instead of aiming to reduce gasoline consumption by 20 percent over the next decade, which is the Bush administration’s target, why don’t we aim higher? After all, JFK set a goal of landing on the moon in 10 years, and American ingenuity made it happen in eight. Let’s ratchet up the research budget by a factor of 10 or 20 — or whatever it takes — and set a goal of completely replacing gasoline with cellulosic ethanol by 2018. Then I finally can drive to the store and buy all the tube socks that I desire, sans remorse. Does that seem reasonable? Feel free to express your opinion below.

Comments

[Sammy D.]

1) I wonder how much additional carbon reduction we'd get if we combined cellulosic ethanol with an aggressive move to smaller, more energy-efficient vehicles with electric hybrid power plants? Maybe the government could give people tax incentives or subsidies to replace their big old SUVs with hybrid Priuses or Ford Escapes.

2) Could cellulosic ethanol be burned to generate (relatively) clean electric power? Would it be economically feasible? Maybe this biofuel could fit into a mix with solar and wind as a way to a way to replace aging coal plants.

[Children of the Corn]

I still say corn ethanol is better than gasoline. When they total up the carbon footprint for gasoline, they never figure in the emissions involved in extracting the oil from the ground, transporting it halfway across the world and refining it. And corn is easier to turn into energy than weeds.

[millercs]

Whatever solutions we want to try we will need stakeholder acceptance for it to succeed. That is the principal reason that we need to start with what we have (pumps, old cars, stinky liquid fuels) and then fractal to a solution.

Along that vein I would like to see:
1 - new pumps that allow for a smorgasbord of blends (ethanol/gas, biodiesel/diesel)
2 - ethanol from an expanding range of feedstock (start with cultivated, work toward uncultivated, and focus on environmental waste piles first)
3 - plug-in hybrids
4 - biomass co-generation plants for heat, steam, and electricity. More solar, more wind.
5 - regional solutions fitted to resources, climate, manpower, and cultures of each 50 mile radius grid
6 - openmindedness on the part of environmental absolutists who have managed to litigate and derail sincere efforts to develop technological alternatives to the very detriment of progress toward their ideals
7 - a future where my sons and daughters and future generations aren't doomed to fight over dwindling resources. Being humans, I don't expect them to settle for less than their parents, but I do trust that they will have the persistence and maturity to strive for better.

[Newton]

I found an article about Conskata in technology review
http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/20199/ and it says that they have a process that can make cellulosic ethanol out of wood chips, household garbage or old tires even.

" Tobey's tour begins at the far end of the laboratory in two small rooms full of pipes, throbbing pumps, and pressurized tanks--all used to process synthesis gas (also known as syngas), a mixture of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. This is the thermo­chemical part of Coskata's process: in a well-known technique called gasi­­fication, a series of chemical reactions carried out at high temperatures can produce syngas from almost any organic material. Ordi­narily, chemical catalysts are then used to convert the syngas into a mixture of alcohols that includes ethanol. But making such a mixture is intrinsically inefficient: the carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that go into the other alcohols could, in principle, have gone into ethanol instead. So this is where Coskata turns from chemistry to biology, using microbes to convert the syngas to ethanol more efficiently."

[Mopar]

What kind of performance do you get with cellulosic ethanol?

[John Brisker]

Switchgrass are basically weeds, right? That's cool that they can be turned into fuel. Weeds will grow just about anyplace. Unlike corn, you don't have to water them or use fertilizer or pesticides. And they don't consume part of the food supply.

[Obey the Pug]

I like the idea of cellulosic ethanol, but I've got an even better idea for fighting global warming. What if the government trained its secret telepathic microwave weapons on all those clueless people who drive gigantic SUVs, and made them hear a voice commanding them to take the bus or walk to work?

[Mothra]

I think it's great. We have lots of grasses in Maryland, and it's easy to grow in drought weather. It beats drilling up in Alaska.

[Stew Johnson]

I like it better when you write about weird stuff like telepathic ray guns and blowing up asteroids. We're really getting beat to death right now in the newsmedia with warnings abouut global warming!!!!

[Mike Lewis]

I disagree. This is a really important issue--I know that here in Montana, our new Senator Jon Tester is pushing for the federal government to do more to develop alternative fuel sources such as cellulosic ethanol. He's also talked about producing safflower oil as fuel (biodiesel), which would reduce carbon emissions by half compared to conventional petrodiesel.

The biggest national security issue we face right now is not terrorism--it's global warming and energy. In order for us to maintain our economy and our place in the world, it's imperative for our country to develop a mix of alternative energy sources (cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, wind, solar and geothermal) and combine that with aggressive improvements in energy efficiency, conservation and carbon sequestration technology. Over the next decade, the United States could--no, MUST--become the global leader in developing alternative energy sources and reducing carbon emissions. But after eight years of neglect by the Bush Administration on this issue, we need a crash national effort, akin to the Apollo program or the Manhattan Project, to make up for the time that's been wasted. This is why I'm voting DEMOCRATIC in the Presidential election this fall.

[Wes Bolsen]

Patrick,
Thanks for the article, I am actually the CMO & VP of Coskata, Inc. that you mention in the article. The "next generation" ethanol industry is definitely an exciting place to be. As Coskata is able to produce ethanol for less than $1/gallon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 90% (like you state) and generate more than 7 times as much energy as the fossil fuel that is used to make it (compared to corn in the 1.3 - 1.4) we hope to reduce the global dependence on oil. We can use just about any carbon based material (woodchips, trash, shredded tires, agricultural wastes, or new energy crops). We look forward to putting ethanol on the market in late 2010 or early 2011, which is the time it takes to build the plant. Thanks for your interest and excitement about next generation biofuels.

Wes Bolsen

[Christine]

What Conskata is doing is really fantastic, and I hope that you are enormously successful. Whenever your product reaches filling stations across the country, I will try to use it exclusively. We need more companies to follow your example and realize that there's a way to profit from protecting the environment and fighting climate change.

[Patrick Kiger]

Thanks for telling us more about Coskata's plans, Wes. I encourage everybody who's interested in this issue to check out the company website, www.coskata.com...

Here also is a link to a USA Today story about Coskata's strategic partnership with GM, which I think was a very smart move on the automaker's part...
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/environment/2008-01-13-gm-ethanol-coskata_N.htm

[Skeeter]

You're still going to have some carbon emissions, even with cellulosic ethanol. I'd rather have a plug-in electric car, powered by electricity generated by wind or solar. Then I could be totally carbon-free when I drive.

[Joey]

I don't think that plug-in hybrids are going to be practical for longer distance travel, at least not for a while. Cellulosic ethanol sounds like a much better short term solution--especially if we also develop some sort of carbon sequestration technology that reduces the greenhouse emissions from vehicles even further.

[matty]

I think looking at past research, Switchgrass would be a great idea. Not only would fuel created by farmers create more American jobs and help create independance, think about the environmental benifits associated with perserving farm land and re-energizing the common farmer.

[Tankgirl]

with gasoline at $4 a gallon, an alternative fuel like this starts looking really economically viable.

[Obama for President]

Here's what Barack Obama will do:

Develop the Next Generation of Biofuels: Barack Obama will work to ensure that advanced biofuels,including cellulosic ethanol, are developed and incorporated into our national supply as soon as possible.mObama will invest federal resources, including tax incentives, cash prizes and government contracts into developing the most promising technologies with the goal of getting the first two billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol into the system by 2013.

Expand Locally-Owned Biofuel Refineries: Less than 10 percent of new ethanol production today is from farmer-owned refineries. New ethanol and biodiesel refineries help jumpstart rural economies. For example, it has been estimated that a 40 million gallon ethanol refinery will add up to 120 jobs, expand a local tax base by $70 million per year and boost local household income by $6.7 million
annually. The economic development opportunities for advanced cellulosic ethanol technologies hold potential to revitalize rural communities across the country. Barack Obama believes we must ensure that local investment continues to play a significant role as the biofuels industry continues to expand and evolve. Obama will create a number of incentives for local communities to invest in their biofuels refineries, including expanding federal tax credit programs and providing technical advice to rural
communities that are in a strong position to open their own refineries. Obama will also provide an additional subsidy per gallon of ethanol produced from new facilities that have a minimum of 25 percent local capital, and he will provide additional loan guarantees for advanced ethanol facilities with local investment.

This will be part of Obama's 10-year plan to fight global warming and establish U.S. energy independence by investing $150 billion in alternative energy sources. It's also a plan that will create five million new "green" jobs. Read more about the plan at
http://obama.3cdn.net/eff0ff1daa8bafe984_4yjqmv8j3.pdf

[I Like Obama Too (but Hillary is Okay)]

I went to John McCain's campaign web site (http://www.johnmccain.com) to see what his policy position was on cellulosic ethanol, and guess what what I found when I entered "cellulosic ethanol" in the search box? Nothing. So then I went to the "Issues" section, figuring he might have a general document on his alternative fuels policy. Again, nada. In fact, judging from his own web site, he apparently doesn't have an energy policy of any sort, let alone for alternative fuels.

When I googled "McCain + ethanol," however, I did find this CNN article (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/11/13/8393132/index.htm) which explained that McCain used to be against corn ethanol but then switched his position when he started running for president, apparently in an attempt to make nice with corn farmers in Iowa, in case they voted in the Iowa caucuses.

Go to Obama's web site--or Hillary's, for that matter--and you'll find detailed, specific positions on how to develop alterative fuels. McCain doesn't seem to have even considered the issue, beyond what he might do to win over voters in one state. I think that tells you something about who has the right priorities, and who is absolutely clueless and doesn't deserve to be entrusted with our nation's future.

[Sam the Sham]

"I have a glass of ethanol every morning before breakfast."
--John McCain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F7ISrXs2Ic

[Stretch]

I'm a republican that voted for Bush both times and feel like it has really been a rough 8 years for the country. That is no fault of his. I do feel like we have been hijacked by the oil companies and I do blame Bush for that. I can't help but to think that the best way to defeat the mid-east terrorist is to take away their cash flow by finding a replacement for oil. If we are really spending billions of dollars a day, (not to mention the lives that are lost on both sides everyday) we could have used that money towards developing alternative fuel sources. I'm afraid that it doesn't matter who the President is. I think there are much more powerful people behind all of this. Why are we so worried about "Terrorist" 6,000 miles away when we have much worse "Terrorists" in our own backyard?

[Vickneswaran Nadarajan]

Thank you for the good info on alternative fuels like ethanol. Does anyone know of any other way to really move away from using earth's limited natural resources like oil, and contributing to environmmental pollution?

Can water be used to produce hydrogen gas for internal combustion engines?

[G.Basralian]

I like the idea of replacing all gas with ethanol. I started woundering if this is even possible. So I did some research and the resuling math is quite interesting.

Corn you can produce 400 gallons of ethanol (ETOH) per acer per year. Using switchgrass you can produce 375 gallons per acer per year. You need to burn 1.5 gallons of ETOH to travel as far as with 1 gallon of gas. The US uses 146 billion gallons of gas per year. To replace that we would need to produce 219 billion gallons of ETOH.

This would require 547.5 million acres of corn to be grown (219 billion/400) or 584 million acres of switchgrass. The total farm land in the US is 434.16 million acres as of 2002. This means we would need to replace every crop grown in the US with corn. In addition, 117 million acres of 395 million acres of pastureland would have to grow corn (who knows if it even could). This would leave no land to grow current farmland to grow food. To put this into perspective 25% of the total land mass of the United States (2.262 billion acres/584 million acres) would have to be used to grow corn.

Once I look at the math it becomes obvious that ethanol is not a solution to our dependance on oil and energy needs. We need to find alternatives to oil but ethanol will not be one.

[Patrick Kiger]

Switchgrass isn't the only source of raw material for cellulosic ethanol. It is estimated that 323 million tons of cellulose containing raw materials that could be used to create ethanol are thrown away each year. This includes 36.8 million dry tons of urban wood wastes, 90.5 million dry tons of primary mill residues, 45 million dry tons of forest residues, and 150.7 million dry tons of corn stover & wheat straw. That material alone could produce enough ethanol to account for 30 percent of present fuel consumption.

Also, the calculation of how much fuel the U.S. will need is based on current consumption rates. As automakers produce more energy efficient cars, the amount of fuel needed may go down. One example: The next-generation hybrid Chevy Volt, which is supposed to go into production in the next couple of years, reportedly will be able to travel up to 40 miles in a day without using any fuel at all.