FEEDSTOCK DEVELOPMENT

Though some biofuel types are now produced with corn and sugar cane, EBI scientists are trying to identify and “improve” other plant species that can be used to manufacture biofuels on a global scale with more efficiency and less waste. Researchers are examining the fuel-producing capabilities of varieties like switchgrass, miscanthus, and other plants that can be grown in a sustainable fashion – meaning they won't harm the environment or require too much energy to harvest and store.

A chief goal of scientists doing work in this program is discovering plants that can produce more biomass (plant material from which biofuel is produced) per acre than plants that are traditionally used for this purpose. Doing so will help minimize the amount of land, water, and energy needed to produce the fuel. It could also lead to the biofuels industry being expanded dramatically. And that means less reliance on fossil fuels and more availability of sustainable, carbon-neutral biofuels that reduce harmful impacts on the environment and foster energy independence.

Programs (with 2009 Updates)

• Assessing the Potential Impact of Insect Pests and Plant Pathogens on Biomass Production of Miscanthus x giganteus and Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
  PI: Michael Gray, U. of Illinois
  
  
• Genomics-Enabled Improvement of Andropogoneae Grasses as Feedstocks for Enhanced Biofuel Production
  PI: Stephen Moose, U. of Illinois
  
  
• Engineering Solutions for Biomass Feedstock Production
  PI: K. C. Ting, U. of Illinois
  
  
• Feedstock Production/Agronomy Program
  PI: Tom Voigt, U. of Illinois
  

Projects (with 2009 Updates)

• Reproductive Barriers in Miscanthus Sinensis and Other Biofuel Plants
  PI: Sheila McCormick, UC Berkeley
  
  
• Model Development to Predict Feedstock Production of Miscanthus and Switchgrass as Affected by Climate, Soils, and Nitrogen Management
  PI: German Bollero, U. of Illinois
  
  
• Germplasm Collection, Nutrient Cycling, Cold Hardiness, Photosynthetic Capacity, and Flowering Phenology of Miscanthus sacchariflorus, Miscanthus sinensis, and Their Natural Hybrids in Native Stands Ranging from Central to Northern Japan
  PI: Ryan Stewart, U. of Illinois
  
  
• Improvement of Bioenergy Crops Via Transformation
  PI: Jack Widholm, U. of Illinois
  
  
• Regional Biofuels Modeling
  PI: Michael Dietze, U of Illinois
  
  
• Developing Prairie Cordgrass as a Cellulosic Bioenergy Crop
  PI: D. K. Lee, U. of Illinois
  
  
• Understanding Low-Temperature Limits of Miscanthus and Its Variation and Basis
  PI: Stephen Long, U. of Illinois

• Potential Biomass Production of Bioenergy C4 and CAM Crops Evaluated Through the Use of a Semimechanistic Crop Model (BioCro)
  PI: German Bollero, U of Illinois