Download MEDC Bioeconomy Symposium/ Networking Event Friday

MEDC Bioeconomy Symposium/ Networking Event
Friday, December 3rd
Gold Room B, MSU Union
Note: Each speaker is allocated 10 minutes, with about 5 minutes presenting the main
results of the project, followed by 5 minutes of discussion among participants. This will
leave about 10 minutes at the end of each session for identifying common themes.
PROGRAM:
12:00
LUNCH for those interested. Lunch will be unstructured conversation; if you would
like to attend but have not yet RSVP’d, contact [email protected]
1:00
OPENING REMARKS: Steve Pueppke (director, Michigan Agricultural Experiment
Station), Marietta Baba (dean, College of Social Science)
1:10
PANEL I: BIOECONOMY AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES
Moderator: Tom Dietz
Lead faculty
Dietz, Thomas
Gasteyer, Stephen (not
attending - Wes Eaton
will present)
McGarrell, Ed (not
attending) and Carole
Gibbs
Peterson, Chris
College
CSS
CSS
CSS
CANR
CANR
Yin, Runsheng
CSS/CANR
Zhao, Jinhua
Title
The behavioral wedge: Narrowing the energy
efficiency gap
Wood frames and forest knowledge networks:
Community factors in biomass/bioenergy
development in michigan
Crime, compliance and enforcement in carbon
trading markets
The Product Center bioeconomy programs
Assessing the performance of energy plantations in
Michigan
Carbon trading: Lessons from European Union
Emissions Trading Scheme
2:20
PANEL II: BIOFUEL PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Moderator: Ray Miller
Lead faculty
Balan, Venkatesh and Bruce
Dale (neither attending –
Leonardo da Costa Sousa
presents)
College
EGR
Title
Novel approaches to improve lignocellulosic biomass
digestibility for biofuel production
1
CNS
Benning, Christoph
(Sanjaya may present)
Han, Kyun-Hwan, and Ken
Keegstra (not attending)
Reguera, Gemma (Allison
Speers may present)
Srivastava, Ajit (not
attending) and Yan (Susie)
Liu
CANR/
CNS
CNS
CANR/
EGR
CNS
Vieille, Claire
3:30
Genetic engineering of triacylglycerol (TAG)
biosynthesis in rutabaga (Brassica napus var
napobrassica) storage root as feedstock for the
production of biofuel
Biotechnological means to optimize lignocellulosic
feedstocks for improved biofuel productivity and
processing
Microbial fuel cells for ethanol production from low
cost lignocellulose substrates
Developing a novel coupled conversion process on
genetic modified green algae
Development of a knockout method to engineer A.
succinogenes into a performing industrial succinate
producer
Break
3:40
PANEL III: BIOMASS SUPPLY
Moderator: Jeff Andresen
Lead faculty
Andresen, Jeff, and
Sharon Zhong
Groop, Dick, and Jiaguo
Qi
Kim, Seungdo and Bruce
Dale (not attending)
College
CSS
CSS
EGR
CANR
Miller, Ray
CANR
Thelen, Kurt
CANR/ CSS
Westphal, Joanne
Title
Developing regional climate change scenarios for
agriculture and renewable energy for the Great Lakes
region through dynamic downscaling
Assessing national corn/soybean expansion and
intensification with satellite Imagery
Global warming intensity of lumped ethanol fuel
derived from cornfields
Establishing a network of poplar and willow
biofeedstock production research sites in Michigan
Corn harvest strategies with consolidated starch and
cellulosic bioprocessing
The use of green roof technology to mitigate storm
water events in built environments
4:50
Wrap-up/ Discussion of next steps
5:10
Close
2
Abstracts for MEDC Bioeconomy Symposium/ Networking Event
December 3, 2010
In order of presentation
Tom Dietz: The behavioral wedge: Narrowing the energy efficiency gap
Affiliation: Department of Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy Program
Abstract: Most climate change policy attention has been addressed to long-term options, such as
inducing new, low-carbon energy technologies and creating cap-and-trade regimes for emissions. We use
a behavioral approach to examine the reasonably achievable potential for near-term reductions by altered
adoption and use of available technologies in U.S. homes and nonbusiness travel. We estimate the
plasticity of 17 household action types in 5 behaviorally distinct categories by use of data on the most
effective documented interventions that do not involve new regulatory measures. These interventions
vary by type of action and typically combine several policy tools and strong social marketing. National
implementation could save an estimated 123 million metric tons of carbon per year in year 10, which is
20% of household direct emissions or 7.4% of U.S. national emissions, with little or no reduction in
household well-being. The potential of household action deserves increased policy attention. Future
analyses of this potential should incorporate behavioral as well as economic and engineering elements.
Stephen Gasteyer: Wood frames and forest knowledge networks: Community factors in biomass/
bioenergy development in Michigan
Presenter: Weston Eaton, Graduate Student, Department of Sociology
PI: Stephen Gasteyer, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
Abstract: Biomass bioenergy is one of a suite of renewable energy initiatives promoted through the state
of Michigan and the US Department of Agriculture with the goal of improving the renewable fuel portfolio.
This project explored the factors that contributed to community willingness to host biomass bioenergy
facilities in northern Michigan. We conducted research in four communities, two with proposed plants and
two that rejected biomass bioenergy facilities. We utilized a multi-stage process involving: content
analysis of conventional media, blogs, web sites, and reports by government, universities and others;
analysis of available secondary statistical data; and interviews of key informants using a snowball sample
method.
Key findings: According to content analysis of local news sources and interviews with policy/industry
leaders, an increasing number of rural Michigan communities are considering biomass as one renewable
energy source. University foresters, industry developers and other proponents argue that wood is
ecologically, technologically and economically preferable to other renewable sources such as wind,
hydro, solar, and landfill gas, since the decline in the paper industry means Michigan has ample wood
supply to feed existing and new energy generation facilities. Further, biomass bioenergy can provide the
base load to support weather dependent renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar. These
factors, combined with the need for alternative job creation throughout the state, make biomass appear to
be an easy sell.
From a business perspective, however, the optimal location for siting a biomass bioenergy facility is
limited by proximity to forest feedstock, proximity to transport, the ability to tap into water and wastewater
services, and the existence of a grid that may be accessed. These limiting factors create opportunities for
opposition.
Of our four research communities, two were moving forward with proposed biomass bioenergy generating
facilities and two rejected the proposed facilities. The supportive community leaders saw the benefit in
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terms of direct and indirect job creation. The business models for these facilities are dependent on
government incentive programs.
Findings about the considerable opposition in the other two communities include: 1) The opposition arose
initially around process issues—not being adequately included in community deliberations; 2) Members of
the opposition expressed distrust of the motivations of industry and community leaders, and the capacity
of Michigan regulatory agencies to enforce permits; 3) Opposition members were NOT only motivated by
local impacts alone, but by concerns about longterm natural resource impacts, specifically given
Michigan‘s dubious legacy of forest overharvest; 4) Opposition groups were highly networked, both
regionally, and to national environmental groups that had the capacity to dispute the premises of industry,
government, and mainstream university representatives about the environmental and health impacts of
biomass. Future research should include better exploration of opposition, standards for supply
management, and community impacts for sited facilities.
Carole Gibbs: Crime, compliance and enforcement in carbon trading markets
Research team: Carole Gibbs (PI), Jessica Fry (PhD Student), Edmund McGarrell (PI), Louie Rivers III
(Co-PI)
Affiliation: School of Criminal Justice
Abstract: Carbon markets established under the Kyoto Protocol represent a massive and relatively new
attempt at reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with climate change. Empirical research on
and understanding of crime, compliance and enforcement related to the market is limited due to the
novelty and complexity of the approach and a lack of criminological attention to environmental issues. To
fill this gap, our research objective is to construct a mental model of the Kyoto carbon market to describe
the system and identify opportunities for fraud, noncompliance and abuse of the system. Mental models
are used to help us understand how individuals perceive, make decisions and behave in a variety of
environments. Ultimately we plan to use situational crime analysis to compare criminal opportunities in
carbon trading systems to other regulatory approaches.
Chris Peterson: The Product Center bioeconomy programs
Affiliations: Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics and MSU Product Center for
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Abstract: Presentation will provide an overview of the Product Center‘s venture development program,
bioeconomy status and potential assessments, as well as MEDC/DOE research projects.
Jinhua Zhao: Carbon trading: Lessons from European Union Emissions Trading Scheme
Research team and affiliations: Jong Duk Kim (Department of Economics) and Jinhua Zhao (Departments
of Economics and Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics and Environmental Science and Policy
Program)
Abstract: The European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) commenced the world‘s largest multicountry, multi-sector Cap-and-Trade system in 2005. Related to the impact of Cap-and-Trade system on
industrial competitiveness, there are two relevant yet opposite hypotheses; ‗pollution haven hypothesis‘
and ‗Porter hypothesis‘. The former states that Cap-and-Trade system raises cost burden so that harms
industrial ‗competitiveness‘ and hence eventually makes industries move to other regions with less strict
environmental regulations. On the other hand, the latter (Porter, 1991) asserts that environmental
regulations spur innovations, increase productivity and so eventually benefit industries regulated.
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From this empirical study using Phase I (2005~2007) data of the EU ETS, we have two objectives to
achieve. First, we aim to understand the impact of (grandfathering) permit allocation decisions on
industrial competitiveness. In order to compensate for the potential harms of the EU ETS, it is believed
that each government in EU strategically adjusted permit allocation among participating industries based
on industrial competitiveness and mobility. This research confirms that more permits were allocated to
relatively less competitive and more mobile industries. Furthermore, we intend to see the effect of such
strategic permit allocations on the industrial competitiveness. Second, we aim to understand the direct
impact of the EU ETS on industrial competitiveness. For this purpose, non-participating industries in the
EU ETS are included as a control group. Hence, we can compare the competitiveness changes of two
groups (control and treatment) since the start of the EU ETS.
Venkatesh Balan: Novel approaches to improve lignocellulosic biomass digestibility for biofuel
production
Research team: Venkatesh Balan, Leonardo da Costa Sousa, Shishir Chundawat, Mingjie Jin and Bruce
Dale.
Affiliation: Biomass Conversion Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering and Material
Science
Abstract: One of the challenges facing society today is related to the availability of inexpensive liquid
transportation fuels. Petroleum is currently the only available resource which is capable of providing liquid
fuels on a large scale. However, about 85% of the U.S. crude oil is imported to meet local demand.
Lignocellulosic biomass is the only renewable resource capable of replacing crude oil for fuels and
chemicals production. A typical biomass to fuel conversion process includes: pretreatment of the
lignocellulosic biomass, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation to produce fuels such as
ethanol. One of the primary focuses of our research at the Biomass Conversion Research Lab (BCRL) is
to fundamentally understand how to reduce biomass recalcitrance using ammonia as the pretreatment
catalyst and thereby improve the economics of biofuel production. For this purpose, our approach
includes: 1) identification and study of important reactions occurring during ammonia pretreatment of
biomass, 2) converting crystalline cellulose I (native polymorph to plants) into a highly reactive cellulose III
polymorph using various ammonia treatment conditions, and 3) studying the extractability of biologically
inhibitory components from lignocellulosic biomass (e.g., lignin, organic acids, phenolic compounds)
during ammonia pretreatment. Some of our preliminary findings based on the above mentioned
approaches will be presented.
Christoph Benning: Genetic engineering of triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis in rutabaga
(Brassica napus var napobrassica) storage root as feedstock for the production of biofuel
Research team: Sanjaya, Brandon Guelette, and Christoph Benning
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Abstract: Increasing the energy density of biomass by adding oil (TAG) to vegetative tissues is a highly
desirable goal for the improvement of biomass feed stocks for high energy transportation biofuels such as
biodiesel or even jet fuels. We specifically focus on the engineering of oil production in the storage root of
rutabaga by shifting carbon partitioning from starch to precursors of fatty acid biosynthesis. Rutabaga like
canola or Arabidopsis has an active pathway of storage oil biosynthesis in the embryo that will have to be
activated and optimized in the developing root storage organ. A synthetic biology approach is employed
that involves the expression of multiple genes in the rutabaga root to inhibit starch accumulation, increase
the conversion of sugars into fatty acids, and to create a sink by enhancing oil synthesis. One of the
proteins targeted is WRINKLED1 (WRI1), a transcription factor of Arabidopsis which has been implicated
in the regulation of sugar conversion into fatty acid biosynthesis in Arabidopsis embryos.
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We have developed a rutabaga hairy root system for rapid proof of concept to test combinations of
constructs for their effectiveness towards oil production, prior to generating transformed plants.
Transgenic hairy roots expressing the WRI1 gene alone or in combination with other genes accumulated
higher total fatty acids than wild type as indicated by TLC and GC data. Rutabaga stable transformation
was established in the lab. Independent T 0 transgenic plants with WRI1cDNA driven by the CAMV 35S or
the PATATINB33 promoter (sugar responsive and storage organ-specific) were obtained. Rooted plants
were acclimatized to greenhouse conditions; the presence of foreign genes was confirmed. Analysis of
TAG in T1 transgenic plants was confirmed by TLC. Collection of homozygous progeny, as well further
biochemical analysis is under way.
The small subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), a key enzyme for starch biosynthesis
was isolated and conserved region (500 bp) was used to produce an RNAi construct. T-DNA constructs
were produced that contained AGPRNAi and/or WRI1cDNA driven by the two promoters mentioned
above and containing different selection markers to allow gene stacking. These construct were
transferred into rutabaga to obatin T0 plants, selection of homozygous lines and biochemical analysis is in
progress. To test efficacy of these constructs, transgenic Arabidopsis plants were generated by floral dip
using Agrobacterium. As a most promising result, we have observed significant accumulation of TAG (5-6
folds) by ESI-MS in non-seed tissues such as leaves and roots of transgenic Arabidopsis plants
expressing the double gene construct AGPRNAi and WRI1cDNA. Embryonized seedling formation
(formation of embryo-like seedlings actively converting sugars into oil) was tested for above transgenic
lines resulted in 10% per DW oil (TAG) on medium supplemented with 3% sugar.
Kyung-Hwan Han: Biotechnological means to optimize lignocellulosic feedstocks for improved
biofuel productivity and processing
Research team: Kyung-Hwan Han
1,4,
2,4
, Bruce Dale , and Ken Keegstra
3,4
Affiliations:
1) Department of Horticulture and Department of Forestry, 2) Department of Chemical Engineering, 3)
DOE-Plant Research Laboratory, MSU, 4) DOE-Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, MSU
Abstract: Liquid fuels from lignocellulosic materials such as wood offer an attractive alternative to fossil
fuel. Lignocellulosic biomass is composed of a complex mixture of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.
The proportion of these three major components varies depending on the plant species used, growing
site, climate, age and the part of the plant harvested. This variability presents process design and
operational challenges for the fermentation of sugars derived from lignocellulosic feedstocks. Recent
advances in the molecular biology of wood formation and cell wall biosynthesis have provided new
enabling tool to produce tailored biomass composition. The long-term goal of this project is to develop
biotechnological means to control the composition of lignocellulosic biomass and develop the genetically
altered poplars as industrial feedstocks for biofuel production. Specific objectives are to: (1) produce
transgenic poplars that suppress 4-CL (for total lignin reduction) and over-express poplar F5H (for
changes in lignin composition); (2) test whether overexpression of a mannan/glucomannan synthase will
increase the levels of mannan and glucomannan in poplar wood and result in a concomitant alteration of
processing qualities; (3) develop genetic transformation system for selected clones for biomass
production in Michigan and US; (4) carry out AFEX pretreatment and hydrolysis experiment using the
transgenic poplars produced in this project.
This report will describe (1) our strategy to modify the content and composition of lignin, hemicellulose in
transgenic poplars and (2) analysis of the resulting transgenic poplars with regard to cell wall composition
and effect on AFEX pretreatment.
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Seungdo Kim: Global warming intensity of lumped ethanol fuel derived from cornfields
Research team: Seungdo Kim and Bruce E. Dale
Affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Abstract: The current practices have separately estimated global warming intensities of ethanol derived
from corn grain and from corn stover (feedstock-oriented approach), while decisions on the environmental
performance of ethanol have been generally done at the fuel level, not at the feedstock level. From a land
use perspective or a fuel level viewpoint, the important issue is how much total ethanol fuel is produced
per acre of land, not how much of each type of ethanol fuel is derived per unit mass of different
feedstocks. Using this land-oriented approach, lumped ethanol fuel derived from cornfields, including
corn-based and corn stover-based ethanol, can reduce global warming by 48% (47.2 g CO 2 equivalent
per MJ). The land-oriented approach is useful in estimating nation-wide greenhouse gas emissions
associated with ethanol fuels derived from cornfields.
Gemma Reguera: Microbial fuel cells for ethanol production from low cost lignocellulose
substrates
Research team: Allison Speers (Ph.D. student), Jenna Young (Ph.D. student), and Gemma Reguera (PI)
Affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Abstract: The goal of our project was to develop a consolidated bioprocessing technology for cellulosic
ethanol that bypasses limitations of current technologies in cost, efficiency, and sustainability. Current
technologies for the conversion of biomass to ethanol use mainly corn grain, which interferes with the
food supply and makes this technology unsustainable in the long term. Corn grain is then chemically
pretreated with acid to increase its enzymatic digestability and hydrolyzed to soluble sugars by microbial
enzyme cocktails, a step that inevitably adds to the final cost of the ethanol. The soluble sugars resulting
from the enzymatic hydrolysis step are then only partially fermented by genetically engineered strains of
bacteria or fungi. Fermentation also is limited by the acidification of the media, which results from the
production of organic acids during microbial fermentative metabolism, and by feedback inhibition on the
microbial metabolism from fermentation byproducts such as H2 and organic acids. To address these
limitations, we designed a microbial fuel cell (MFC) driven by a defined binary consortium composed of a
cellulolytic/fermentative partner (Cellulomonas uda) and the electricity-producing (electricigen)
microorganism Geobacter sulfurreducens. In this bioprocessing scheme, C. uda efficiently degraded and
fermented corn stover (chemically pre-treated using the AFEX method) to ethanol at high natural yields.
The ethanologenic fermentation was coupled to electricity production in a MFC using the electricigenic
catalyst, G. sulfurreducens, which converted the fermentation byproducts (organic acids and/or H 2) into
electricity. Genetic engineering and adapted evolution also was used to improve the synthrophic
interactions of the consortium and ethanol tolerance, respectively.
Ajit Srivastava/ Yan (Susie) Liu: Developing a novel coupled conversion process on genetic
modified green algae
Affiliation: Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Abstract: A transgenic microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii with the expression of a thermophilic
alpha amylase in chloroplast could provide an algal biomass that is capable of self saccharification in vivo
at elevated temperature after harvesting, and coupled conversion process on the algae could effectively
convert algal starch and lipids into bioethanol and biodiesel. Combining algal self-saccharification and
coupled conversion process will eliminate the extra cost of drying algal biomass and breaking down cell
wall during conversion process, which will improve the efficiency of algal biofuels production, and make
algal biofuels economically feasible. The genetic modified green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii could
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be served as a model organism of algal cultivation platform for value added product production such as
diagnostic protein production.
Claire Vieille: Development of a knockout method to engineer A. succinogenes into a performing
industrial succinate producer
Affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Abstract: Succinate is among the twelve top value-added chemicals targeted for bioproduction by DOE.
Succinate has many current specialty chemical applications, but its greatest potential for future use is as
a building block that can be converted into high-value chemicals and products. It could replace maleic
anhydride (produced from petroleum) as the feedstock to produce 1,4-butanediol, tetrahydrofuran, and γbutyrolactone. Produced from biomass, succinate would have the potential to decrease our reliance on
foreign oil by up to 10%. Succinate fermentation has the added benefit of fixing CO 2. If combined with
ethanol production, succinate production could significantly improve the carbon footprint of ethanol
biorefineries.
One of the best succinate producers, Actinobacillus succinogenes, produces up to 110 g/l of succinate
from glucose. It also grows on most hemicellulosic sugars, and work is in progress to optimize growth on
hemicellulose hydrolysates. A. succinogenes produces succinate as part of a heterofermentation that
produces acetate, formate, and some ethanol as byproducts. While we now have an excellent
understanding of A. succinogenes’ metabolism, and of what steps are needed to engineer a
homosuccinate fermentation, developing a gene knockout method for A. succinogenes remained the
major bottleneck in developing A. succinogenes into a performing industrial succinate producer. Our goal
in this project was to test two methods, natural transformation and conjugation, to construct knockout
mutants. The same positive marker was going to be used to select for gene knockouts.
The A. succinogenes genome contains homologs of all the Haemophilus influenzae genes required for
natural transformation. The H. influenzae DNA uptake machinery takes up DNA selectively, recognizing a
species-specific uptake signal sequence. The A. succinogenes genome contains 1,690 of these motifs.
These results suggested that A. succinogenes is possibly naturally competent. The pyruvate formate
lyase gene (pflB) and the fumarate reductase operon (frdABCD) were targeted for knockouts. ∆frdAB and
∆pflB constructs were made that were interrupted by a positive selection cassette. In this cassette, the
Escherichia coli isocitrate dehydrogenase gene (icd) was flanked by two repeat sequences (FRT) needed
for cassette removal with the yeast Flp/FRT recombination system. A. succinogenes is auxotrophic for
glutamate partly because it does not have an isocitrate dehydrogenase. The E. coli icd gene allows A.
succinogenes to grow on defined medium with isocitrate replacing glutamate. The ∆frdAB::icd and
∆pflB:icd linear constructs were introduced into A. succinogenes by natural transformation using the
competence induction and transformation methods developed for H. influenzae. Knockout events were
selected by growing transformants in defined medium-isocitrate. Isolated colonies were tested for
knockout by PCR and enzyme assays. The icd marker was excised by expressing the Saccharomyces
cerevisiae recombinase, Flp in the ∆frdAB::icd and ∆pflB:icd strains. Finally, the Flp plasmid was cured
using acridine orange.
In summary, we developed a knockout method based on natural transformation that allows us to make
markerless deletions in A. succinogenes. Because of this success, we did not proceed with testing
whether conjugation can be used to create knockout mutants in A. succinogenes.
Sharon Zhong and Jeff Andresen: Developing regional climate change scenarios for agriculture
and renewable energy for the Great Lakes region through dynamic downscaling
Affiliations: Department of Geography and Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station
8
Abstract: General circulation models (GCMs) are widely used to assess the impact of greenhouse gas
emissions due to human activities on the climate system. Although it is widely accepted that present-day
GCMs are able to simulate the large-scale atmospheric state in a generally realistic manner and that
these models are the adequate tool to predict large-scale climate changes, their implications on regional
climate are questionable. At the meantime, many climate impact assessment and adaptation studies
request information on the regional or even local scale. To bridge this gap, coarse-scale GCM projections
(which are currently on the order of 100-300 km spatial resolution) need to be downscaled. A variety of
downscaling methods have been developed and can be generally categorized into two classes referred to
as ―dynamic‖ and ―empirical‖. Dynamic downscaling utilizes climate projections from GCMs as initial and
boundary conditions for a regional climate model (RCM) that runs at a much finer (10-50 km) horizontal
grid resolution, while empirical downscaling methods employ statistical or machine learning techniques to
derive a mathematical relationship between the large scale and local climate variables. One of the main
concerns in empirical downscaling is that even if the predictive model works well for current climate data,
there is no guarantee it will perform equally well for the predicted future climate data whose distributions
have been perturbed by the different emissions scenarios. Another problem is that most downscaling
methods are biased toward capturing dominant signals of the data and consequently are not effective at
predicting extremes.
This project is aimed at producing regional climate change scenarios for the Great Lakes region using
dynamic downscaling method. RCM simulations of current climate were first performed in order to identify
potential biases in RCM simulations. The results were evaluated using North American Regional
Reanalysis data set. The regional climate features examined include seasonal mean precipitable water,
moisture flux transport, precipitation and temperature. The monthly features of domain-averaged winds
and water vapor mixing radio are also analyzed. The analyses suggest that the regional simulation
realistically captured the spatial and temporal variability of important climate variables over the region,
although biases exist that include underestimating of precipitation and over-prediction of temperature.
Jiaguo Qi and Richard Groop: Assessing national corn/soybean expansion and intensification
with satellite imagery
Affiliation: Department of Geography
Abstract: Over the last decade there has been a great deal of interest in developing bioenergy from
plants. As a consequence, there is a significant expansion and intensification of corn and soybean
production at the national level. However, the spatial expansion and intensification are largely unknown
and little is understood about their environmental and socioeconomic consequences. This project, funded
by MAES, was to test remote sensing capability using large scale, moderated spatial resolution but
frequent temporal coverage satellite images to detect and subsequently map corn and soybean
production in the US. The results indicate that it is promising that these publicly available satellite data
can be used to quantify the rate of changes. Further, their environmental consequences can be
quantitatively assessed with ecosystem models.
Ray Miller: Establishing a network of poplar and willow biofeedstock production research sites in
Michigan
Affiliation: Department of Forestry
Abstract: Understanding the relationship between planting sites and clones of poplar and willow hybrids is
critical to developing recommendations for energy plantation growers. Clones respond differently from
place to place requiring numerous trials. Results from these tests will inform planting recommendations
and be used by crop breeders in development of future varieties. Observing the reaction of various
clones across sites and measuring site changes resulting from energy plantation establishment also helps
to develop models of greenhouse gas, water, and nutrient cycling under energy crop production systems
throughout the state. This project provided funding to obtain field equipment and support for a technician.
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Together with funding from the Sun Grant Feedstock Development Program, the Frontier Center of
Energy Excellence, and the Forest Biofuels Statewide Collaboration Center, a network of five energy
plantation test sites was established throughout northern Michigan. Sites are located near Skandia,
Escanaba, Brimley, Onaway, and Lake City. Each eight acre site includes a replicated clonal yield study
of 20 new willow clones (developed at the State University of New York, College of Environmental
Science and Forestry), 10 promising poplar clones (chosen from among those tested in the Lake States
over the last several decades), and a clonal test of 70 new hybrids developed at the Natural Resources
Research Institute at the University of Minnesota. This infrastructure of plantations is already contributing
early growth and insect damage information to the New York and Minnesota breeding programs and will
begin producing yield data within the next year. The network also is providing an opportunity to monitor
early plantation gas exchange dynamics. This set of materials represents the most extensive testing of
these bioenergy crops anywhere in the United States and is linked closely to other projects working on
these taxa.
Kurt Thelen: Corn harvest strategies with consolidated starch and cellulosic bioprocessing
1
1
1
1
2
Research team: Juan Gao , Leilei Qian , Kurt D. Thelen , Xinmei Hao , Leonardo da Costa Sousa ,
2
2;
Vankatesh Balan , Bruce E Dale
2
Affiliations: Department of Crop and Soil Science/ Department of Chemical Engineering
Abstract: Conventional systems for harvest and bioprocessing of corn (Zea mays L.) and corn stover as
ethanol feedstocks involve multiple trips across the field for harvest and separate bioprocessing of the
grain (starch) and stover (cellulose) components of the corn plant. The objective of this study was to
evaluate a consolidated system of whole plant corn (grain + stover) harvest followed by consolidated
bioprocessing of the starch and cellulosic components of the whole-plant feedstock. Whole plant
harvesting at peak biomass (green cut whole plant corn fresh processed, and green cut whole plant corn
ensiled) and at full maturity (mature cut whole plant) were conducted to compare with source separated
component harvesting of grain, cob and stover fractions at four Michigan farms. Composition analysis
showed green cut whole plant corn fresh processed, green cut whole plant corn ensiled and mature cut
-1
whole plant corn had higher glucan 56.0 ± 8.0% (g g dry biomass), lower xylan (13.3 ± 2.7%), arabinan
(2.9 ± 0.6%) and acid-insoluble lignin (11.8 ± 2.6%) contents than the corn cob and corn stover
component fractions. Under ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) pretreatment, enzyme hydrolysis and S.
cerevisiae 424A (LNH-ST) fermentation, green cut whole plant corn fresh processed and green cut whole
-1
plant corn ensiled had an ethanol yield of 24.7 ± 3.3% (g g dry biomass), mature cut whole plant corn
had a higher ethanol yield of 28.7 ± 2.3% than green cut whole plant corn ensiled at the Ingham location
and green cut whole plant corn fresh processed at Menominee. The ethanol production from the cob
fraction (14.6 ± 2.5%) and stover fraction (17.7 ± 3.5%) were lower than green cut whole plant corn fresh
processed, green cut whole plant corn ensiled and mature cut whole plant corn. There was no location
effect of corn grain ethanol production (33.8-39.8%). If 30% of total corn stover was harvested in a
-1
source separated harvest/bioprocessing system, ethanol yield on a land area basis was 5309 L ha ,
significantly lower than that recorded for the mature cut whole plant corn/consolidated bioprocessing
-1
system (6446 L ha ). There was no difference in ethanol yield on a land area basis between the green
-1
-1
cut whole plant corn fresh processed (5679 L ha ) and green cut whole plant corn ensiled (5294 L ha )
indicating that on-farm storage using conventional ensiling practices is a viable biomass feedstock
storage method for consolidated bioprocessing systems. The results suggest that whole plant harvesting
of corn combined with consolidated bioprocessing of the starch and cellulose components of the whole
plant material is a viable alternative to the convention of separate grain and stover harvesting and
bioprocessing.
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Joanne Westphal: The use of green roof technology to mitigate storm water events in built
environments
Research team and affiliations: Drs. Joanne Westphal (Landscape Architecture), Brad Rowe
(Horticulture), Jeff Andresen (Geography), Rique Campa (Fisheries and Wildlife), Milind Khire (Civil and
Environmental Engineering), Indrek Wichman (Mechanical Engineering)
Abstract: This project examines the potential role of sloped green roof systems to significantly mitigate
storm water events in urban areas. The study examines roof composition and the subsequent release of
storm (volume and peak) flow from 15 roof panels constructed to simulate standard pitched (4:12) roof
systems in the Midwest. Each panel (4 feet long [1.23 m], 18 inches [0.46 m] wide, & 8 inches [0.20 m]
deep) was constructed to collect and record rainfall every 5 minutes, using tipping buckets, moisture
probes, and a data logger. Triplicates of five different roofing materials were studied, including two
conventional roof surfaces (steel, fiberglass shingle), and three green roof systems (sedum, grasses,
bare soil). An on-site weather station recorded precipitation, solar incidence, wind speed/direction, and
ambient temperature.
Preliminary data finding suggest substantial retention of storm water (volume, peak flow) with the green
roof systems over panels having the conventional roof surfaces. This study suggests the potential of
green roof technology to 1) mitigate the environmental impacts of stormwater events in highly urbanized
areas, 2) reduce community infrastructure costs for stormwater conveyance and treatment, and 3) provide
another opportunity for manufacturing new green technology in Michigan.
Runsheng Yin [likely absent]: Assessing the performance of energy plantations in Michigan
Affiliation: Department of Forestry
Abstract: Developing energy plantations has attracted broad interest, with the emerging bio-economy.
The goals of this project are to: (1) assess the feasibility of feed-stocks supply from woody, energy
plantations in Michigan, and (2) find critical opportunities for cost and efficiency improvements in
alternative systems. To achieve those goals, first, an appropriate economic model will be built; and then,
the performance of the energy plantations will be analyzed under various scenarios.
Building an economic model of energy plantations: The feed-stocks supply for energy production based
on woody plantations features a multi-year undertaking from site preparation to plantation establishment,
maintenance, and harvest. The net revenue of this enterprise is determined by the difference between the
total revenue and the total cost. The total revenue is a product of harvested biomass multiplied by its unit
price. The total cost includes three components – the land rental cost, the annual operational cost, and
the opportunity cost of stocking volume. Land rental rate times the total land occupied gives rise to the
land rental cost; the annual operational cost covers expenses for such items as site preparation, planting
stock, establishment, fertilization, and overhead; and the opportunity cost of stocking volume results from
the total growing inventory times unit biomass price times the selected discount rate. This suggests that
we need to understand the various practices involved in developing the plantation resource and the
corresponding expenditures and growth process and output price. Then, we will be able to determine the
rotation length and thus productivity based on the profit (net revenue) maximization assumption.
Additionally, we will be able to examine the cost structure of the enterprise and analyze the tradeoffs of
different practices.
Assessing the performance of energy plantations: The performance of energy plantations includes both
the absolute performance of an individual production system and the comparative performance of the
alternative production systems. The primary criteria of performance include profitability and productivity.
Once the net revenue of a production system is determined, the profitability, measured by the net
revenue per acre per year, can be easily derived; alternatively, the rate of return can be estimated by
changing the discount rate such that the total cost will be equal to the total revenue. Accordingly, the
productivity, measured by the biomass production per acre per year, can be calculated. Once we have
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obtained the profitability and productivity of individual systems, their performance can be compared. In
this process, light will be shed on what is the best combination of practices over the rotation, how the
intensification of production will alter the system outcome, and what will be the required scale of
production given the capacity and utilization rate of a bio-energy facility.
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