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Biofuel crops - ecological perspectives
Citation:
WATRUD, L. S. Biofuel crops - ecological perspectives. Presented at OSU Crop & Soil/Hort Science Class, Corvallis, OR, February 09, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and the USEPA Renewable Fuel Standards 2010 Final Rule have highlighted national strategic goals to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline.
Description:
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and the USEPA Renewable Fuel Standards 2010 Final Rule have highlighted national strategic goals to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline. An overview is presented of ecological considerations regarding the production of current renewable (non-GM or GM) biofuels such as oils for biodiesel engines derived from oilseed crops and ethanol derived from starches and sugars found in grains. Examples are given for diverse sources of the oils that include annual herbaceous crops (canola and sunflower), perennial plantation crops (palm and coconut) and novel plant, microbial and algal sources. The major focus of the ecological risk assessment is on the feedstock production phase of largely second generation sources of ethanol , such as those derived from the degradation of cellulose and lignin in leaves and stems, to sugars that can be fermented to ethanol. Proposed renewable sources of the lignocellulose include tall, fast-growing perennial grasses such as switchgrass and Miscanthus, fast-growing tree species such as willows, poplars and eucalyptus, and woody and agricultural food-processing wastes. A need for regional ecological risk assessments, particularly for novel crops or crops novel to an area, during the feedstock production phase is presented in the context of minimizing the potential risks of spread and invasion of novel biofuel crops or for crops novel to an area. Examples are given of lessons learned with past ecological research at USEPA with perennial and annual model GM crops (glyphosate resistant creeping bentgrass and canola respectively), that are considered relevant to risk assessment of perennial and annual non-GM biofuel crops such as switchgrass and sorghum, the subjects of ongoing research at USEPA. The talk concludes with needs to consider both the potential positive and negative impacts of biofuel crop production on plant and soil associated ecosystem services and human health effects.