W. Virginia Plants Switchgrass for Ethanol on Old Coal Mines
MORGANTOWN, West Virginia, August 24, 2008 (ENS) – A new, clean form of energy is taking the place of an older, dirtier energy source that was the mainstay of the West Virginia economy for decades. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and West Virginia University have begun working together to study the potential for growing switchgrass on sites of former surface coal mines across the state.
Often used to rehabilitate exhausted croplands by rebuilding soil structure, nutrients and organic matter, switchgrass also can be converted to ethanol.
“While corn ethanol will continue to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we clearly need to develop additional sources for ethanol production,” said Governor Joe Manchin III. “This study is designed to provide us the information we need to determine whether developing a switchgrass-based industry in West Virginia is the direction we want to go.”
Switchgrass is a perennial grass that grows from three to 10 feet tall and has a deep root system. It is a self-seeding crop, which means farmers do not have to plant and re-seed after annual harvesting. Once established, a switchgrass stand can survive for 10 years or longer.
Unlike corn, switchgrass can grow on marginal lands, requires little or no fertilizer to thrive and can withstand high temperatures and drought.
“Last year, 20 percent of the U.S. corn crop was used to produce five billion gallons of ethanol, which is about one percent of petroleum consumption in the United States,” said Paul Ziemkiewicz, PhD, with the West Virginia University Water Research Institute. “If our entire corn crop went to ethanol production, it would only replace seven percent of our annual petroleum use.”
“In addition to competing for limited cropland, corn-based ethanol production consumes nearly as much energy as it produces,” Ziemkiewicz said.
According to a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences, the net energy yield of switchgrass ethanol is about six times better than corn ethanol.
“Large surface mines can range from 1,000 to 12,000 acres; many have road networks, access to transportation, water, utilities and even locations for ethanol processing facilities,” said Ken Ellison, Director of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Land Restoration.
“But first, we need to know how many tons of switchgrass hay will be produced on an acre of mined land, track developments in ethanol conversion technology and the economics of ethanol production and processing,” said Ellison.
The project will be managed by the Water Research Institute at West Virginia University in Morgantown.
The researchers will test the performance of three switchgrass varieties in 10 acre plots in both northern and southern West Virginia.
Hay yields and carbon sequestration will be measured over a seven-year period; and researchers will document costs related to switchgrass plot establishment, harvesting and maintenance.
“This project is an example of the DEP’s continuing effort to find productive uses for mine lands,” said Stephanie Timmermeyer, cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. “If we discover that growing switchgrass on these lands is a successful endeavor, it is the perfect example of an enterprising and environmentally healthy use of those lands.”
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