WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue University agricultural economist and energy policy analyst has changed his tune on renewable fuels.

“We don’t just talk about ethanol. We talk about biofuels,” said Wally Tyner.

“Ethanol is the product from corn, but you also can produce gasoline and diesel directly from cellulosic feedstocks. And when you bring up the blending wall for ethanol, that means the door may be open wider for processes that will take us directly from corn stover, switchgrass and Miscanthus to biogasoline and biodiesel. We need to be thinking in those terms.”

Tyner and fellow Purdue agricultural economist Steven Wu will discuss biofuels and the future of renewable energy during Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability. The Dec. 1 conference is a collaborative effort between Purdue and sister land-grant universities in 11 other Midwest states.

Purdue Extension and Purdue’s Energy Center at Discovery Park are hosting a conference viewing site in Stewart Center on the university’s West Lafayette campus. The conference also can be viewed online.

The event is geared toward anyone with an interest in biofuels. Conference topics range from advances and breakthroughs in biofuels to biochar, which is the leftover material after cellulose is converted into fuel.

Tyner said there’s still a future for ethanol, but much of the future growth will be in cellulosic biofuels. Cellulose for liquid fuel comes from plant material, including the non-grain parts of corn.

Ethanol growth is restrained by a “blending wall” – the amount of ethanol gasoline companies are permitted by law to blend with petroleum-based fuel. Current federal standards set the amount at 10 percent of gasoline consumption.

No such blending limit exists with cellulosic biofuels, Tyner said. There are other differences between biogasoline and ethanol, he said.

Biogasoline is produced through a refining process and is chemically similar to petroleum-based gasoline, while ethanol is produced by a fermentation process, Tyner said. Biogasoline can be transported through gasoline pipelines; ethanol is corrosive to pipes and must be transported by rail or truck.

However, cellulosic biofuels face three challenges, Tyner said.

“You’ve got market uncertainty, technology uncertainty and government policy uncertainty,” he said.

There are no commercial cellulosic biofuels plants operating in the United States, Tyner said. Getting them built likely will require biofuels companies to enter into new kinds of contracts with the farmers supplying the feedstock. Dedicated energy crops like switchgrass and Miscanthus, a similar grass, produce for 10-15 years. A 50-million-gallon biofuels plant would need a truckload of cellulose every 10 minutes from day one.

“These plants cost $400 million to build, and nobody’s going to sink $400 million into concrete and steel until they’ve got a guaranteed supply of feedstock,” Tyner said. “And getting a guaranteed supply of feedstock means convincing farmers that they are going to be there 10 years from now to take their Miscanthus or switchgrass. The plant has to be convinced that the farmer is going to be there 10 years from now, as well. It’s a whole new ballgame.”

Government subsidy programs for renewable fuels would need to change, as well, for the biofuels industry to take off, Tyner said.

“Right now, everything in the U.S. is on a per-gallon basis. So today, for cellulosic biofuels you get $1.01 per gallon whether you’re producing ethanol or biogasoline,” he said. “Biogasoline has 50 percent more energy than bioethanol, yet it gets the same subsidy. We could consider moving to the kind of system Europe has, where everything is based on energy content. That would level the playing field.”

Wu’s presentation follows Tyner’s. Wu will discuss contracting issues for second generation perennial energy crops.

The conference’s keynote speaker is James Lovelock, a renowned thinker on global environmental science. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu are invited speakers.

The conference runs from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST.

Registration is $75 for those viewing the conference at Stewart Center and $50 for online viewing. Complete registration information is available by visiting the Purdue Conference Division’s upcoming events page at https://www.cec.purdue.edu/ec2k/Upcoming.asp and clicking on the link to Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability. Registration is recommended by Nov. 24.

For a complete conference agenda, visit the conference Web site at http://www.bioeconomyconference.org. Additional information also is available by contacting Chad Martin, Purdue Extension renewable energy specialist, at 765-496-3964, martin95@purdue.edu.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana 4-H members and their peers across the nation created renewable energy in a Wednesday (Oct. 7) experiment.

Biofuel Blast helped 4-H’ers better understand the process for producing fuel from crops, and built on science education that’s a regular part of the 4-H program, said Renee McKee, assistant director and program leader for Indiana 4-H youth development. The experiment took place on 4-H National Youth Science Day.

“Our goal through this experiment, known as Biofuel Blast, was to allow young people all over the state to learn about science and how it can be fun and how it has a necessary role in everyday life,” McKee said.

The Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service and Indiana Corn Marketing Council co-sponsored Biofuel Blast in Indiana.

“Since this year’s experiment was corn-based, the Indiana Corn Marketing Council provided funding so that we could provide the base supplies to every county to help get them started,” McKee said. “It also allowed the youth to learn how corn products can be used as a source for alternative fuels,” McKee said.

During the experiment, 4-H members mixed yeast, corn syrup and warm water in a plastic bottle. They shook the mixture and placed a balloon over the bottle’s top. The balloon inflated with ethanol produced from mixing the yeast with the corn syrup.

4-H’ers also were able to try variations of the experiment by using other materials such as sawdust, dried leaves and cornmeal.

“The young people observed the variations on the experiment and recorded their results in a nationwide database,” McKee said.

Not only did Biofuel Blast allow participants to see how biofuels supply energy, but they also saw how they could learn about renewable energy through 4-H activities, she said.

“We hope 4-Hers left the Biofuel Blast experiment with the idea that projects like this can help further their education and possibly lead to a future career choice in the science field,” McKee said.

The Indiana Soybean Alliance is providing funding for a follow-up supplemental experiment for 4-H’ers in middle school and high school.

To learn more about 4-H National Youth Science Day, visit https://www.4-h.org/NYSD/

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A blend of degummed soybean oil and No. 2 fuel oil can be used as an alternative heating fuel and reduce sulfur emissions, according to a Purdue University scientist.

Purdue researcher Klein Ileleji found that a 20 percent blend of degummed soybean oil performed well in home furnaces and reduced sulfur emissions. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo/Tom Campbell)

Klein Ileleji, an assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, tested blends of 20 percent, 50 percent and 100 percent degummed soybean oil – an unrefined and cheaper product to produce than soy methyl esters, commonly known as biodiesel – and found that the 20 percent blend didn’t degrade a home furnace’s parts or heat output. The only issue found with the 20 percent blend was a slight early degradation of the furnace’s seals and gaskets, which manufacturers could fix by switching to a higher quality product. Ileleji’s findings were reported in the recent early online version of the journal Fuel.

“You are going to reduce the sulfur emissions with degummed soybean oil. The things you should be worried about with a biofuel, such as the pour point temperature and heating ability, were not affected,” Ileleji said. “You want to keep the properties of your No. 2 fuel oil, and at 20 percent degummed soybean oil, you would minimally affect those properties.”

Removing gumming agents from soybean oil eliminates its harmful effects on fuel injection nozzles, gaskets and other parts, and creates a combustible biofuel. Like some other biofuels, its properties can be less desirable than traditional fuels. Ileleji’s study showed that 100 percent degummed soybean oil and a 50 percent blend had reduced flashpoints, making them more difficult to ignite; reducing heat content; creating higher temperatures associated with cold filter plugging points; and leading to early degradation of seals and gaskets.

“Overall, using 20 percent degummed soybean oil, you can get by using existing furnace designs,” Ileleji said. “You can use a 20 percent blend without changing your combustion system, and you will not be changing its performance. What you will be getting is the benefit of lower sulfur emissions, which is good for the environment.”

Ileleji’s work was a continuation of a project started by Harry Gibson, a retired Purdue professor of agricultural and biological engineering, and Gibson’s graduate student, Bradley Kaufman. The Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana United Soybean Board funded the research.

Ileleji said he is testing the degummed soybean blends with farm grain dryers to see if the biofuel could be used efficiently with those devices’ burners.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Landowners wanting to try out their green thumbs and earn extra income are encouraged to attend the Natural Resource Enterprises Workshops on Sept. 2 and 3.

Small-scale biodiesel production is one of the new income avenues that will be showcased at the September 3rd workshop.

“The workshops will help landowners and farmers seek new and innovative ways to earn an extra income to help keep their family farm,” said Brian MacGowan, Purdue University Extension wildlife specialist. “They are designed for landowners interested in learning about developing enterprises from the natural resources on their property or simply learning more about wildlife and business management.”

Attendees will learn how to manage natural resources on their land, ways to market their enterprise, cost-share programs that are available and ways to reduce their liability. The workshops are co-sponsored by Purdue.

“Both of the workshops will allow people to learn everything they need to know about starting a natural resources-based business, and they will have the chance to see examples of successful ventures and speak with the hosts about what they learned,” MacGowan said.

Each of the workshops will feature three field tour stops relating to natural resources enterprises.

The workshop on Sept. 2 will be on the Wilkin’s Farm, located at 1935 W. County Road 1000 N., Linden, and will highlight small-scale lumber production, agritourism and timber management. The Sept. 3 workshop will be at the Woodling’s Farm, located at 7092 N. Shilo Road, Unionville, and will showcase small-scale lumber manufacturing, biodiesel production and hunting.

Registration for each workshop is $25, which includes a 600-page reference notebook, lunch and breaks. For more information about each workshop or to register, visit http://www.wildlifeworkshop.msstate.edu

“By hosting these workshops, we hope this will give landowners and farmers a jump-start to begin their natural resources-based enterprises on their own properties, while giving them the information and contacts to manage their property for wildlife and other resources,” MacGowan said.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Those worried about a performance drop-off going from standard diesel fuel to the more environmentally friendly B20 biodiesel blend can ease their minds.

A new Purdue University study shows that there is almost no statistical performance difference in semitrailer trucks using B20, a 20-percent blend of biodiesel, and No. 2 ultra-low sulfur diesel, the current standard.

John Lumkes found that a 20 percent blend of biodiesel fuel performed as well in trucks as the standard ultra-low sulfur diesel. Differences in the fuelsÕ performances were statistically insignificant. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo/Tom Campbell)

“In terms of performance, reliability and maintenance costs, it was basically a wash,” said John Lumkes, the assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering who led the study. “The only differences are environmental and economic.”

The study, which compared two 10-vehicle truck fleets using the ultra-low sulfur fuel and B20, was released in the journal Applied Engineering in Agriculture. Trucks used for comparisons in the yearlong study had the same engines, similar miles already on them at the start and drove nearly the same number of miles over the year.

The only statistical difference related to the B20 was that it lowered the oil viscosity between maintenance intervals in engines slightly more than the ultra-low sulfur diesel. But even so, Lumkes said the oil still had sufficient viscosity so as not to damage engine parts.

“They were still within the range of what is acceptable before you need an oil change,” he said.

The study followed each fleet’s idle time percentage, average speed, engine load percentage and engine speed. Each pair of trucks had close to the same statistics in each category.

At the end of the study, each fleet of 10 trucks had driven more than 1.5 million miles. Differences in performance based on fuel economy, fuel test results, engine oil analysis, and service and maintenance costs were considered minute. B20 cost about 13 cents more per gallon during that time than the ultra-low sulfur diesel.

Lumkes said his study could ease concern about the effect biodiesel has on engine durability. He said some engine manufacturers are wary about extending warranties to those who use biodiesel because not enough has been known about how the biodiesel affects engine wear.

“This shows that there is no observable difference in performance of engines using biodiesel versus the more common commercial fuel,” Lumkes said.

Lumkes added that the quality of the B20 also is an important factor. All the fuel sampled during the study exceeded the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission standards.

The Indiana Soybean Alliance provided funding for the research, and a private company that provided the trucks also provided funding.