Future fuel to be created in Knoxville within 5 years

Future fuel to be created in Knoxville within 5 years

July 12, 2007

By ERICA ESTEP
6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- A new fuel to be produced in Knoxville is made from grass and it could be in your fuel tank in less than five years.

The University of Tennessee is poised to lead the nation to ease its dependence on foreign oil by helping create a new fuel called "Tennessee Grassoline."

UT has received nearly $200 million in state and federal money to help fuel its research.

Here's how that research money breaks down:

A research effort called The Sun Grant Initiative is supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture at about $8 million over at least five years.

The Tennessee Biofuels Initiative is a UT-led effort that's exclusively state-supported at about $61 million over five years.

The BioEnergy Science Center is an ORNL-led program that's federally funded by the U.S. Department of Energy at $125 million over five years.

Local researchers describe their work

"I think we'll see a significant impact in five years, a real presence of ethanol in five years, says Dr. Tim Rials, director of UT's Department Forest Products Center and a key player in bioenergy research and development.

With mass production of ethanol made from switchgrass, experts say consumers will have an alternative to gasoline, a continuously growing solution.

"Chances are, we've all moxed it down at some point," Rials says. "But it's sort of the rising star on the horizon now for Tennessee's future."

The native grass has grown in East Tennessee for more than a century. Once known as a pest to farmers, switchgrass could soon increase the green in their wallets.

"It's very much about finding the best fit and the most economical fit that's probably going to be localized for various regions and we've done a lot of research and think that in our area, switchgrass has tremendous potential," says Dr. Kelly Tiller, an agricultural economist and director of the bio-fuels initiative at UT.

Turning plants into fuel

Switchgrass can be planted in almost any kind of soil. It needs very little water and it's drought, flood and disease resistant.

It takes 1 ton of switchgrass to produce 80 to 100 gallons of ethanol. Eight tons of switchgrass can be harvested per acre of farmland. Farmers can harvest it each year and sometimes, twice a year.

Currently, UT students and scientists, along with scientists at ORNL, are working to find the best way to break down the plant material, known as biomass, and extract cellulose from sources such as plants and trees. The cellulose will then be distilled in a bio-refinery to be built somewhere in Knoxville.

"It's expensive to transport the ethanol when it's not manufactured around here. Most of it is made in the Midwest today. Therefore, most of it is consumed in the Midwest," Tiller explains.

"So, once we have a larger supply, certainly I think there will be more opportunities for consumers to use it in this area," Tiller adds. 

How "Grassoline" could benefit Tennessee

If production of "Grassoline" is successful, experts say it could produce 4,000 new jobs in rural Tennessee counties, $100 million in new farm revenue and $400 million in new state and local taxes each year.

In addition, switchgrass won't have the negative effects seen with corn, such as rising prices, because it's not a source of food for humans or animals.

UT economists believe once a bio-refinery is built in Knoxville, they can produce 1 billion gallons of Grassoline each year at a potential wholesale price of $1.20 per gallon.

They believe this would displace about 30 percent of Tennessee's current petroleum-based consumption.

Farmers show interest in growing switchgrass

More East Tennessee farmers are interested in growing switchgrass for fuel.

Alfred Davis recently planted 20 acres of switchgrass, in hopes it will supplement his income. "The fact that it grows in different places, poor ground, rich ground, wet ground, withstands drought, all those things seem wonderful."

Right now, it's tough to distinguish the grass from weeds in his field. But in three years, Davis expects he'll have a full-grown crop ready for harvest.

Switchgrass is so hearty and easy to take care of, that's what attracted Davis. "It doesn't need irrigation. In East Tennessee, we've got a lot of small farmers and this might be a source of income that we've never had."

Experts say the crop doesn't take a big investment for farmers either. They can harvest it with the same equipment used for hay, but at a different time of year. When used for ethanol, switchgrass should be harvested after it's turned brown, usually in the fall or early winter.

UT's research goes beyond switchgrass

UT is not relying only on switchgrass to produce ethanol. Researchers are studying other plant materials, called biomass, as well. Biomass includes all sorts of organic material, like trees and leftovers that farmers have after harvesting crops.

"Biomass is about everything you can think of, wood, grasses, agricultural residue, things like soy bean stalks, corn stover or corn stems, all kinds of organic material," Dr. Rials explains.  

Students and scientists are studying which types of trees could work best for production of ethanol.

UT finds other uses for cellulose

UT's bio-research is primarily focused on finding new fuel sources. However, there's a secondary benefit.

Scientists hope cellulose can one day help them make products that normally use petroleum. Some examples are cosmetics, plastics and clothing.