Post on 27-Mar-2015
January 12, 2010Rotary Club of LaBelle
John C. Capece, Ph.D.Intelligentsia International, Inc.
Edward A. Hanlon, Ph.D.University of Florida IFAS
Hendry CountySustainable Biofuels CenterPublic-Private Partnership
What Are Biofuels?
• Food for People & Livestock• Energy for Society:
– Biomass combustion for heat and cooking – Biomass combustion for electrical power– Ethanol (alcohol) from fermentation– Biodiesel (oil) production– Biogas (methane) anaerobic digestion– 2nd generation (isobutanol, cellulosic,
syngas)– 3rd generation (from algae feedstock)
Why Produce Biofuels?
• Energy Security– The USA imports much of its oil
from unstable nations such asNigeria and Venezuela
– Europe and the Far East nations import oil from the Middle East
• Climate Change Concerns– Biofuels are how we can recycle the waste
product of combustion energy, carbon dioxide.
– Plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into biomass for fuel.
What are the Components of the Biofuels Process?
• Production of Biomass– Farms grow the material
(sugarcane, corn, wood, algae, etc.)– Organic waste products collection
(restaurant oil, storm wood debris)
• Conversion of Biomass to Fuel– Ethanol, Biodiesel, Gasification
(Syngas), etc.
• Conversion of Fuel to Energy– Combustion of ethanol in vehicle
engines
What are Sustainable Biofuels?
• Biofuels produced in ways that:– Generate sufficient cash flow
– Do not deplete the natural resources base of the production system (soil, water, air, etc.)
– Continually benefit the community/society over the long term.
– Generally requires the gradual substitution of intellectual capital for resources exploitation(doing things smarter).
The Three Pillars of Sustainability:
Economic, Environmental, & Social
Hendry Co. Sustainable Biofuels Hendry Co. Sustainable Biofuels CenterCenter
• Funded by U.S. Department of Energy
• Federal appropriation requested by Hendry County, Office of Grants & Special Projects ($1 million)
• Developed with Rep. Mahoney (later Rep. Rooney)
• Two years with possible renewal & expansion
• Ties in with new initiatives by DOE, EPA, USDA(a variety of secondary grant opportunities)
• Partners include:– University of Florida IFAS– Edison State College– Intelligentsia International, Inc.– other public and private groups are invited to join
Hendry Co. Sustainable Biofuels Hendry Co. Sustainable Biofuels CenterCenter
Demonstration Projects - New Production SystemsResearch - Comparison Methodologies - Economics - Energetics - Greenhouse Gas Balance - Natural Resources Balance - Compensation Mechanisms - Sustainability
Biofuels Systems Evaluation - Sustainability Indexing - Technology & Farming Sys.Workforce Development - Secondary & CollegeEconomic Development - Assisting All Companies - Attract Biofuels Investment - Develop the Center
Research & Development Research & Development ComponentsComponents
Name Role Affiliation City
Edward A. Hanlon Project Manager UF-IFAS Immokalee
Patricia Land Education Edison State Col. LaBelle
John C. Capece Research & Education Intelligentsia Int’l LaBelle
John M. Owens Biofuels Contractor High Springs
Alan Wade Hodges Economics UF-IFAS Gainesville
Laila A. Racevskis Economics UF-IFAS Gainesville
Tatiana Borisova Economics UF-IFAS Gainesville
Gene McAvoy Extension UF-IFAS LaBelle
Leslie E. Baucum Extension UF-IFAS LaBelle
Sanjay Shukla Water Management UF-IFAS Immokalee
Monica Ozores-Hampton Horticulture UF-IFAS Immokalee
Robert A. Gilbert Agronomy UF-IFAS Belle Glade
Alan L. Wright Soils UF-IFAS Belle Glade
Andy Ogram Soils UF-IFAS Gainesville
Matthew Cohen Forestry & Energy UF-IFAS Gainesville
Mark Brown Energy Analysis UF-EES Gainesville
Bruce Welt Engineering UF-IFAS Gainesville
Categories of Economic Benefits Categories of Economic Benefits from this Department of Energy from this Department of Energy
ProjectProject• Direct employment by the center its cooperators
• Expansion of post-secondary school programs(Edison State College, UF/IFAS and FGCU)
• Expansion of secondary school programs (LaBelle H.S. Agriscience Academic Academy)
• Preservation of farming jobs & support industries
• Creation of new agricultural jobs for biomass
• Creation of biofuels conversion industry jobs
How To Evaluate the Merits of Biofuels?
• Various criteria:– CASH FLOW– ENERGETICS– ENVIRONMENTAL– NATIONAL SECURITY– OTHER ECONOMIC
ISSUES (Employment) – OTHER SOCIAL
ISSUES (Food Supply)
Evaluating Biofuels by Cash Flow“Free Markets”
• Traditionally thought to integrate all system costs with social costs moderated through the political & law enforcement process.
• Includes subsidies & tariffs
• Excludes externalized costs
• The low-cost producer isn’t always the most efficient. Rather, it is often the most externalized.
• Tends to push systems towards high-yield monocultures to the exclusion of other considerations (natural resources depletion).
Evaluating Biofuels by COEvaluating Biofuels by CO22 EmissionsEmissionsEvaluating the attributes of biofuels farming and
conversion
Evaluating Biofuels by Inputs
Biofuel Source Water Fertilizer Pesticides Energy % of land
Corn high high high high 200
Sugarcane high high med med 50
Switch grass low low low low 80
Wood residue med low low low 200
Algae med low low high 2% of U.S. farm land required to meet half of U.S.
demand.Table from Groom, Gray & Townsend in
Conservation Biology.
Evaluating Biofuels Sustainablility by Environmental Impact
Assessments• Environmental Sustainability Index
(ESI)
• Environmental Loading Ratio (ELR)
• Ecological Footprint
• Composite Sustainability Performance Index
• Green Biofuels Index
Evaluating Biofuels by Energetics(Total Energy Budget)
• Energy accounting or the flows & storage of energy into and out of a system.
• H.T. Odum work at UF (with others including Mark T. Brown)
• Provides a more comprehensive analysis if, like traditional economics, all input, output, and impact categories are included.
• Like traditional economics, an energetics model can neglect some cost categories and social considerations.
Emergy (Embodied Energy)Emergy (Embodied Energy)EMERGY (Embodied Energy) Analysis of Farming Systems
What are the energy inputs to our food & fuel production systems?
Emergy (Embodied Energy)Emergy (Embodied Energy)EMERGY Analysis of Sugarcane–Ethanol Production
Emergy (Embodied Energy)Emergy (Embodied Energy)Net energy of biomass is barely 1/1
Net Energy from Renewable Fuels(society currently requires an EYR
of 4
Net Energy from Renewable Fuels(society currently requires an EYR
of 4
Biofuels as One Component of a Sustainable Farming System
• Analyzing the sustainability of biofuels farming systems can help all south Florida agriculture become more compatible with regional ecosystem restoration goals.
• The new farming systems require revenues derived from multiple income streams:– crop sales, waste by-products
– energy generation, carbon credits
– water storage, nutrient removal, wildlife habitat
– ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Promoting Farming Systems Promoting Farming Systems ResearchResearch2010 Everglades Coalition Conference Session
January 8, 2010
Transforming Farming System on Public Lands
to Support Everglades Restoration
Presentation Topiocs:1. Sustainable Farming Systems for the EAA [Concept & Ideas]2. Natural Resources Optimization & Accountings [Framework]3. Water Quality and Drainage Issues [Water Objectives]4. Accelerated Soil Subsidence in the EAA [Soil Objectives]5. Using Sugarcane for Nutrient Removal [Nutrient Objectives]6. Developing Flood-tolerant Sugarcane Varieties [New Crops]7. Program Development [R&D Requirements]
Historic vs. Current Water Flow
Lake Oto
EAAto
STAsto
WCAsto
Everglades
Land Swap for Flow Way(Reservoirs and Wetland
STAs)
Why Pursue Alternatives to STAs?
• Threats to our ecosystem are global, not just local.
• These globally-influenced threats to the Everglades include migratory species vulnerability and long-term climate change combined with sea level rise.
• Eliminating Florida farms simply moves agricultural production overseas to nations using less environmentally-sensitive practices and promoting more land clearing (20% of GHG emissions).
• Substituting overseas agricultural for domestic production contributes to global environmental threats and thus yields no net ecological benefit.
Sustainable Farming Systems as Sustainable Farming Systems as an Alternative to Reservoirs & an Alternative to Reservoirs &
STAsSTAs– Based on flood-tolerant sugarcane & other crops.
– Greater water flow-through and/or storage on farms. (Recyclable Water Containment Areas)
– Reduction of muck soil loss (subsidence), a major factor in the carbon balance of EAA.
– Requires changes in many aspects of horticultural practices: crop rotations, fertility management, diseases & pests, farm operations & equipment.
Farming Systems Research Farming Systems Research ProgramsProgramsWater Storage Services from New Farming
Systems
Farming System Research Farming System Research ProgramsProgramsWater Storage Services from New Farming
Systems - potential dual use as flow way and farm land - taking advantage of flood-tolerant sugarcane varieties
January 12, 2010Rotary Club of LaBelle
John C. Capece, Ph.D.Intelligentsia International, Inc.
Edward A. Hanlon, Ph.D.University of Florida IFAS
Hendry CountySustainable Biofuels CenterPublic-Private Partnership