According to a new study from Purdue University, future expansion of ethanol production from corn would mean higher loadings of fertilizers and pesticides to water resources. The study found that water sources near fields of continuous corn had higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and fungicides than corn-soybean rotations. The study did not compare perennial crops, but no doubt they would be even more protective of water resources because perennial crops better protect the soil from erosion and nitrate leaching, and require less pesticide use.
More information about the study can be found at Lab News
This study calls attention to the urgent need to accelerate development of technology to produce biofuels from perennial crops, which protect the soil and require fewer inputs of fertilizers and pesticides than corn. Technologies under development that would fill this need include cellulosic ethanol production and pyrolysis, both of which could use biomass from perennial crops.
Pyrolysis is a process of heating biomass in the absence of oxygen to produce gaseous and liquid fuels that can be converted to gasoline and diesel fuel. Another byproduct of pyrolysis is biochar, a charcoal material that can serve as a carbon-sequestering soil amendment that improves soil fertility.
The future for biofuels production from perennial crops through pyrolysis looks promising, though more research is needed to fully develop the technology. Pyrolysis produces a higher energy yield per unit of biomass and has a smaller carbon footprint than ethanol production.
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Current Iowa leadership is pretty focused on increasing corn based biofuels, correct? I agree that it's a non-starter, but how would you approach the issue in order to correct the current plans?
I am calling for a moratorium on state subsidies and tax credits for building new corn-based ethanol plants. Instead, I think future state investments in biofuels development should focus on next-generation biofuels that use perennial cropping systems (which are environmentally more sustainable) and that are locally owned.
I fully support a moratorium on state subsidies and tax credits for corn-based ethanol production. Politically, I suspect it will be tough to implement unless there is an alternative plan that provides the same economic "benefits" (for lack of a better term). Are there investments opportunities that can be readily accessed to make the more sustainable alternatives as attractive?
Economists have pointed out that Iowa has become overbuilt with corn ethanol plants. When the price of oil dropped, ethanol plants went idle, and some went bankrupt. For now, new corn ethanol plants are not being built. But if oil prices spike again, corn ethanol fever may set in again. I am not saying we should outlaw building new corn ethanol plants, just that we should stop using public money to do that. If we have public money to invest, we would be better off to invest it in research and technology development for next-generation biofuels.