Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
initially for switchgrass, production costs could decrease if yields increase consid-
erably in nonestablishment years. At this writing, switchgrass and the introduced
grass mix could show promise as economically feasible crops on marginal lands.
In summary, this crop rotation budget exercise should be viewed in context as a
first step towards isolating the agronomic and economic variables that influence the
profitability of agronomic perennial grass biomass production targeted for the
Mountain West. Additional field trial data will provide necessary information to
agricultural producers who must decide whether or not to grow the crop. The crop
budget and profitability estimates are steps in building a perennial grass market that
could ultimately lead to a critical mass of agricultural producers who are willing
and able to cultivate a crop that can be used as a biofuel in the arid Mountain West.
Barriers to Commercialization
At present, there are several supply chain barriers to commercialization. Agronomic
production of perennial grasses has only been at the pilot scale. Before investing in
commercial scale development, biorefineries must ensure that there will be both
adequate biomass supply and demand for the finished product. Ultimately, biofuels
must be reliably available and offered at a price point that competes with other fuel
sources. However, investment in the biofuel supply chain could help overcome
production and cost barriers and improve the overall economic structure of remote,
agriculturally based Mountain West communities.
Developing a locally grown biofuel product could provide economic diversifi-
cation to rural communities in the Mountain West. Establishing a regional supply
chain for biofuel production could diversify fuel sources, thereby providing a
degree of energy security against price increases or shortages. With strategic
biorefinery locations, transportation costs could be minimized, so that the biofuel
products could be competitively priced. If the perennial grasses are grown on
marginal lands, it could provide agricultural producers a diversified agricultural
product mix and an additional revenue stream from land that may not otherwise be
in production.
The identification of sufficient land area within a cost-effective distance to
support year-round operation of a biorefinery is a significant barrier to commer-
cialization in many areas of the country including the Mountain West. The produc-
tion of ethanol that uses corn for conversion has been economically feasible to
locate biorefineries close to by-product users rather than only near the resource
production sites. Corn grain can be railed across state lines to ethanol conversion
facilities locations where by-products from a biorefinery are sold to cattle feeders.
Biomass from perennial grasses must be grown on land that does not compete
with land that is currently being used for food/feed production. A variety of
potential types of land that could be used for biomass production are marginal
land, abandoned land, degraded land, idle land, underutilized land, wasteland,
reclaimed land, and inefficient land. Identifying and quantifying such land that is
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