corn stover and perennial grasses for biofuel
Post on 13-Jan-2016
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Tim ReinbottUniversity of Missouri
Bradford Research and Extension Center
Plentiful12 Billion Bushel Crop, nearly 1 billion
carryoverCompact
45 lbs/ft2
ConsistentMinnesota to Missouri is the Same
Infrastructure in PlaceOn Farm Storage
Often Called Trash:But it Protects From and Provides
Wind ErosionWater ErosionSoil Carbon-Organic Matter
No Food or Fuel Debate?Is this always true?
Does Corn Residue Have An
Economic Value?Harvest Index
Corn-50%Soybean-40%Wheat-40%
N, P, and K/ton19-4-36
Tons/acre120 bu/acre :120 x 56=6720 lbs x 0.67=4500 lbs or 2.25 tons/acre
• 2.25 tons/acre x 4 lbs P205/ton=9 lbs P2O5/acre
• 2.25 tons/acre x 36 lbs K20/ton=81 lbs K20/acre
• 9 x $0.78/lb P205=$7.02• 81 x $0.78/lb K20=$63.18• $70.2/acre or $31.2/ton
Used in Power Plants or Ethanol-Poet in South Dakota
15% of Residue=1000 lbs/acre
Nutrient Removal1 lb P2O5 and 8 lb
K2O/acre-$7.5Specialized
Equipment
• Harvest Index=Grain Yield/total above
ground yieldGrain~52% and Stover ~48%
• Fertilizer Cost of Residue-P
and K=$70/acre
• Cost of Raking and Baling-$12/bale
• Total Cost=$150/acre or $51/ton
Soil Carbon or Organic MatterIn Missouri-~2%We have lost 50%
from tillageCan we maintain
what we have left and still remove the crop residue?
Soil StructureErosion ControlSoil TilthAerationWater Holding
CapacityNutrient CyclingIon ExchangeMicrobial Activity
Percent Soil Organic Matter-8 years Continuous Corn
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
0 50 100 150
Amount of Previous Crop Residue
Per
cen
t Org
anic
M
atte
r
After 8 years a drop in Soil Organic Matter when even 50% of Residue is removed.
A 120 bu/acre corn crop produces 6720 lbs of Corn Stover. Which is minimal to maintain Soil Organic Matter.
Amount of Cover to Maintain or Limit
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Plow Notill Plow Notill
Continuous Corn Corn Soybean Rotation
lbs/
acre
Soil OrganicMatterWater Erosion
Wind Erosion
Corn Residue has economic value-$70/acreBaling another $12/bale or $45/acre.
Residue in Missouri Extremely Important for Maintaining Soil Organic Matter and Reducing Erosion
Corn Cobs-OK, just make sure you get something for them.
Primary Forage in Missouri-17 million acres
Cool Season Grass
Most Growth in Spring and Fall
Stockpiling
After Fescue Seed HarvestFescue Seed Harvest
As a Forage-$20/bale
As Biofuel-$35/balePelletizingEthanol
Nutrient Costs?Tall Fescue Hay 40-15-40/ton removedP and K @ $0.78/lb = $42.9/ton
Decent Quality Hay in Spring if Put Up TimelyOften more than needed
High Quality Grazing in Fall
Aftermath of Seed Harvest-Poor Quality
Planting-Seed of Switchgrass is very easy compared to Indian or Big Bluestem
Indian and Big Bluestem must be deawned if you do not have specialized equipment
Standard Seed Metering Fluffy Seed Attachment
Switchgrass is a Early Successional SpeciesWill die out in 10-15
yearsOther NWSG persist
longerSwitchgrass Has A lot
of Ecotypes DevelopedUpland-Cave In RockLowland-Alamo,
Kanlow
Mow, Rake, Bale
WhenBeginning in
October when dormant
Can be delayed to allow more nutrients to move down to the root system
In NE Missouri in 2008 at the Plant Materials Center with 100 lbs N/acreCIR Switchgrass-
4.97 tons/acreBig Bluestem-5.6
tons/acreRumsey
Indiangrass-6.6 tons/acre
Kanlow and Alamo SG-7.9 tons/acre
Our Plots without any N:Switchgrass-1.94
ton/acreIndian-2.14 ton/acreBig Bluestem-1.11
ton/acre
Switchgrass Indiangrass
When it is icy many of the grasses can be broken down
Big Bluestem Big Bluestem (left) compared to Indiangrass (right).
5 tons/acre100 lb N/acre-$80/acreRemove:
P-9 lb/ton x 5 tons=45 lbs/acreK-46 lb/ton x 5 tons=230 lbs/acre*At $0.78/ lb P and K=$35+$179=$214+
$80=$294/acre
* this can go down if harvest is delayed until winter
$294/acre/5 tonsOr $58.8/ton 1200 lb Big Round Bale=$35Cost of Baling-$20/bale
Total Cost-$55/baleDoes not include transport, time, etc.
As much below ground dry matter as above
Very Deep-6 ft
Not going to be a problem
50 million Gallon Ethanol Plant
90 gallon/ton conversion
550,000 tons or 925,000 big Round Bales
At 5 tons/acre 111,000 acres within a 40 mile radius of the ethanol plant
Enough to Fill Faurot Stadium 5 times
An Answer Maybe In Field Pelletizing or
Compression to a More Compact Form
Tall Fescue Aftermath From Seed Harvest Maybe the Best Source of Biofuel
Big Blustem and Indiangrass harder to establish than Switchgrass but will live longer and give similar if not greater yields
Cost of fertilizer replacement is nearly $60/bale
Concerns with year around storage
Corn-1/3 Ethanol, 1/3 Distillers Grain, 1/3 CO2
Cellulosic Ethanol or Pelleting-100% FuelNo animal feed
A monoculture of a grass will be essentially a desert for wildlife
Cost is driven up by N fertilizer
What if we had a mixed stand?
Minnesota Study Published in Science Found More Biomass and Biofuel Potential When As The Diversity Increased
Use of Natives?
Use of Native Legumes for a N source
Also Provide Flexibility for Livestock
At MU Bradford Research and Extension CenterLow Input/High
Diverse compared to a High Input/Monoculture18 different forbs
and legumesSwitchgrass and Big
BluestemCutting HeightSeasonal Harvests
Depending on Need
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