Posters presented at the GLBRC Thrust 4 retreat

Natalie Hunt, a Nelson Institute Ph.D. student and Carbon Model team member, and Professor Tom Gower, Carbon Model team leader, presented posters on Biome BGC at the GLBRC Thrust 4 retreat from February 10 to 12, 2010 at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station.

The Renewable Fuels Standards set out in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act call for an increase in the production of renewable transportation fuels to 36 billion gallons per year by 2022, 16 billion of which must include cellulosic ethanol. The standard will increase demand for corn grain and cellulosic ethanol, both of which will require additional biomass from sources such as corn cobs and stover. Such an increase in biomass demand will require greater production intensity on existing cropland, or introducing production onto marginal land currently set aside in conservation programs. Greater production intensity will include reducing the amount of crop residues typically left on the soil surface, which may decrease long term soil productivity.

Major uncertainties in biomass feedstock production include determining how much biomass can be produced, and how carbon and nutrient cycling in agricultural ecosystems will be impacted by increased residue removal. The answers to these questions will determine if and how we can produce adequate biomass to meet future energy demands.

View the poster record for the figure that accompanied this poster.