{"id":11189,"date":"2024-11-19T12:02:53","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T17:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/?p=11189"},"modified":"2024-11-19T12:05:46","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T17:05:46","slug":"umes-research-explores-trees-as-bioenergy-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/sans-monthly-digest\/umes-research-explores-trees-as-bioenergy-source\/","title":{"rendered":"UMES research explores trees as bioenergy source"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The quest for renewable energy sources to one day replace or reduce fossil fuels is taking a new turn at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Research is in progress to see if several varieties of trees and other plants, such as switchgrass, can be grown, harvested economically and used as sustainable bioenergy feedstocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBioenergy is one future source of renewable energy, but there are a lot of variables that effect both the economics and the sustainability of biofeedstock sources,\u201d said Dr. Jonathan Cumming<\/strong> (far left)<\/em>, chair of UMES\u2019 Department of Natural Sciences. \u201cWe are investigating a diverse portfolio of feedstocks for their viability for this purpose. They require a lot of processing to yield energy-dense fuels, such as aviation fuel, but they provide many benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bioenergy feedstocks help mitigate climate change and support ecosystem health, Cumming said. These plants absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and convert it into biomass through photosynthesis. Carbon from plant material is used as the source of carbon for fuel, rather than fossil sources like oil, but the plants use carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and also transfer organic carbon into the ground, enhancing the health of the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cThe big thing now with bioenergy is providing alternatives to fossil fuels without taking away from the food chain,\u201d he said, referring to the current practice of producing ethanol from corn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cumming and fellow researchers associated with the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee are particularly exploring eastern cottonwood trees and nine genotypes of a poplar hybrid species altered genetically to deposit more carbon in the soil than is typical and to be more drought-resistant to withstand effects of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe proof in the pudding is putting the right genetically modified tree in the right field,\u201d Cumming said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 200 of the trees in the U.S. Department of Energy-funded study were planted three years ago and last fall in a 1.5-acre plot at UMES\u2019 Research, Extension and Teaching Farm. The trees are not irrigated and the field is monitored for climate conditions, such as temperature, rainfall, and salinity, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are looking at what is happening both above and below ground to understand the patterns of carbon storage in the trees and carbon transfer to the soil that are helpful for the environment,\u201d Cumming explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, he said, the eastern cottonwood and poplar trees are \u201cgetting really good growth\u201d in the field test. Trees could be ready for harvest after three years, and the tree trunks would be ground and the lignin and cellulose extracted and used for feedstocks for biofuel production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supported by a Climate Smart grant from USDA-NRCS, Cumming is also working with partners, the University of Maryland and Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, on using switchgrass and other Maryland cover crops as alternative cellulosic feedstocks for biogas production from the anaerobic digestion of chicken litter. The anaerobic digestion process is a way of treating excess chicken litter, extract usable energy in the form of methane from it, and creating a nutrient stable end product for field application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe digestion process is much more efficient if we add plant material to the feedstock mix,\u201d Cumming said. \u201cSwitchgrass can be grown under various conditions, has everything needed for carbon sequestration and ferments well for bioenergy feedstock production.\u201d In addition, local winter cover crops can be harvested and used as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the USDA grant, UMES and its partners are seeking farmers interested in growing specific alternative crops that can add to their farm revenue stream while serving as test plant material for an anaerobic digestion process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything hinges on economics. It has to be profitable for farmers to grow,\u201d Cumming emphasized. \u201cThrough this program, we are able to provide stipends and other funds to our partner farmers.\u201d These farmers then become part of a renewable energy initiative on the Eastern Shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit www.acredelmarva.org<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gail Stephens, agricultural communications and media associate, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, UMES Extension, <\/em>gcstephens@umes.edu<\/em><\/a>., 410-621-3850.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo by Todd Dudek, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, UMES Extension, <\/em>tdudek@umes.edu<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The quest for renewable energy sources to one day replace or reduce fossil fuels is taking a new turn at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Research is in progress to see if several varieties of trees and other plants, such as switchgrass, can be grown, harvested economically and used as sustainable bioenergy feedstocks. \u201cBioenergy…Read more UMES research explores trees as bioenergy source<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1168,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","wds_primary_category":40,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,144,40],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-11189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-for-the-media","category-november-2024-sans-monthly-digest","category-sans-monthly-digest"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11189\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11189"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=11189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}