Ames, Iowa
April 1, 2009
Two
Iowa State University
research farms are growing sugar beets to determine their
biofuel potential in Iowa.
The research is being conducted at the Muscatine Island Research
and Demonstration Farm in Fruitland and the Southeast Research
and Demonstration Farm, which is located near Crawfordsville.
“Our work is important because it will provide estimates of
potential sugar beet yield so work can begin on developing
realistic energy budgets and profitability of using sugar beets
as a biofuel,” said Vince Lawson, superintendent of the
Muscatine Island research farm.
Although the research on sugar beets is in the early stages, the
crop is very efficient at making sugar, the primary ingredient
converted to ethanol. The goal of the research project is to
determine if sugar beets would be a valuable alternative crop to
grow for ethanol production.
The trial began in April 2008, where a half-acre was planted at
each farm. The Southeast research farm project found that on
average, 5.5 tons of sugar could be extracted from 35.4 tons of
beets. Those 5.5 tons of sugar would end up making 898 gallons
of ethanol. Similarly, the Muscatine Island research farm
produced an average of 4 tons of sugar, which were extracted
from 24.7 tons of beets.
Lawson said that the crop was shown to have potential and the
next step is to continue planting more sugar beets in 2009 and
fine-tune some fertility and production problems that were
identified in 2008.
Heartland Renewable Energy and Syngenta provided the funding and
support of the research project.
Heartland Renewable Energy plans to build an ethanol plant in
Muscatine in 2011. Syngenta provided seed for four types of
sugar beet varieties.
Iowa State is a leader in biofuel research, continually looking
for alternative answers to energy issues. Other research
occurring on campus includes:
Advanced corn-to-biofuel research that looks toward enhancing
the conversion of corn to ethanol and improving efficiencies in
the production.
A multidisciplinary look at soybeans to develop opportunities
for this in-demand crop. Soybeans are alternative sources for
bio-based energy, biolubricants and used for food and feed.
Development of sustainable cropping systems that are focused on
benefiting biofuel production. This research focuses on soil
erosion, degrading of soil organic matter and requirements for
energy-intensive fertilizers.
More information on Iowa State’s research can be found by going
to:
http://www.biorenew.iastate.edu/research.html. |
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