Comparing the Potential Cellulosic Ethanol Production of Five Prairie Grasses
Location
CSU Ballroom
Start Date
28-4-2009 10:00 AM
End Date
28-4-2009 12:00 PM
Student's Major
Biological Sciences
Student's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Mentor's Name
Christopher Ruhland
Mentor's Department
Biological Sciences
Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Description
The demand for alternatives to fossil fuels has increased as the need for energy grows with an expanding global population. Increasingly popular substitutes for traditional fossil fuels are biofuels which are economically competitive and environmentally superior. Cellulosic-based ethanol is a biofuel from woody and herbaceous plant residues and crop wastes. This study evaluated the potential production of cellulosic ethanol from grasses in a native prairie, rather than farmland; reducing the fertilizer and pesticide input, lowering runoff, and reducing stress on com as a fuel source. The study's focus was on the cellulose content of dominant prairie grasses and their population densities to examine which species had the greatest potential for biofuel. The species evaluated were big bluestem {Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem {Schizachyrium scoparium), reed canary grass (Phalaris arvndinacea), switchgrass (Panicum virgantum) and Indian grass {Sorghastrum nutans). The population densities of each species were measured in a native southwest Minnesotan prairie. Samples of each species were analyzed to find the cellulose content. The density data and cellulose content data were used to calculate the potential amount of ethanol per acre for each species. From these calculations the species with the most potential for biofuel production were determined. Results of this research provided a better understanding of which prairie grass species could provide the greatest output of ethanol per acre and can be the foundation for further research comparing monocultures of the highest yielding species with different combinations of prairie species.
Comparing the Potential Cellulosic Ethanol Production of Five Prairie Grasses
CSU Ballroom
The demand for alternatives to fossil fuels has increased as the need for energy grows with an expanding global population. Increasingly popular substitutes for traditional fossil fuels are biofuels which are economically competitive and environmentally superior. Cellulosic-based ethanol is a biofuel from woody and herbaceous plant residues and crop wastes. This study evaluated the potential production of cellulosic ethanol from grasses in a native prairie, rather than farmland; reducing the fertilizer and pesticide input, lowering runoff, and reducing stress on com as a fuel source. The study's focus was on the cellulose content of dominant prairie grasses and their population densities to examine which species had the greatest potential for biofuel. The species evaluated were big bluestem {Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem {Schizachyrium scoparium), reed canary grass (Phalaris arvndinacea), switchgrass (Panicum virgantum) and Indian grass {Sorghastrum nutans). The population densities of each species were measured in a native southwest Minnesotan prairie. Samples of each species were analyzed to find the cellulose content. The density data and cellulose content data were used to calculate the potential amount of ethanol per acre for each species. From these calculations the species with the most potential for biofuel production were determined. Results of this research provided a better understanding of which prairie grass species could provide the greatest output of ethanol per acre and can be the foundation for further research comparing monocultures of the highest yielding species with different combinations of prairie species.
Recommended Citation
Cahlander-Mooers, Alex and Janet Wood. "Comparing the Potential Cellulosic Ethanol Production of Five Prairie Grasses." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 28, 2009.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2009/poster-session-C/1
