Switchgrass
Featuring Presentations on:
and Production
- Bioenergy Research in South Carolina
- Emerging Biomass Industries
- The SC Switchgrass Initiative
- Biomass Opportunities for Limited Resource Farms
Please preregister your attendance by October 7 via email to jfrdrck@clemson.edu
Hosted by Clemson University, SC Energy Office, & SC Biomass Council.
More information to come!
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Poster Presentation Information
Switchgrass Research
Interest in renewable forms of energy has increased due to concern for the future supply of fossil fuels, the negative impacts of burning fossil fuels on air quality, and the desire to support local agriculture. Although considered a global issue, utilizing switchgrass as a biofuel is a significant local development.
Clemson University's switchgrass website focuses on these topics:
- Location - description of South Carolina's Pee Dee region
- Focus - five year program goals
- Production - contract growing, cultivation knowledgebase
- Conference review - posters, photos from inaugural meeting
- Collaborators - encompassing program disciplines
Crops such as corn and soybeans are currently being used to produce biofuels. Scientists are exploring ways warm-season grasses (such as switchgrass, Panicum virgatum) can be used for making ethanol from plant cellulose, for raw material in coal-fired electric generation facilities, and/or for making synfuels. Compared with other plant species, ethanol made from perennial warm-season grasses can result in:
- less energy needed for production,
- a reduction in greenhouse gases,
- less potential for agrichemical pollution,
- crop production on poorer soils,
- less displacement of land for food production or loss of biodiversity through habitat destruction,
- fewer environmental impacts.
Clemson University scientists, in collaboration with USDA-ARS researchers, are initiating studies that will maximize production of native warm-season grasses under the climatic, soil, and socio-economic conditions encountered by farmers and other landowners in South Carolina.
Location
Field research studies have been initiated at Clemson University’s Pee Dee Research and Education Center (PDREC) in Florence, South Carolina. The 2,300-acre PDREC is located in the heart of the Pee Dee region, an area rich in agriculture and many other natural resources. Many soils in this region are sandy and prone to drought, making them marginal for growing crops like corn. However, they may be suitable for the production of the more drought tolerant native warm-season grasses. Special research focus is being given to develop switchgrass farms among the rural communities along the I-95 corridor.
In addition to field research studies, basic research is also being conducted on switchgrass by collaborators in laboratories located on the Clemson University main campus, the USDA-ARS Coastal Plains Research Center, and the Savannah River National Laboratory.
Research Focus
Development of Profitable Production Systems
Genetic Improvement Using Biotechnology and Traditional Breeding
Improve Efficiency of Conversion of Ethanol or Use for Combustion
Develop IPM practices and evaluate necessary pest control
Evaluate Environmental Impacts of Production Through Field Measurement and Modeling Efforts
Conduct Socio-Impact Analysis and Determine Profitability of Production
Conduct Farmer, Industry Leader, Academic and Public Education Programs Related to Switchgrass Production and Ethanol Use
Provide Information to Improve Government Policy and Programs Related to Switchgrass Production
Collaborators
This project will involve an inter-disciplinary team of researchers and educators. Among those currently involved are:
| John Andrae, Assistant Professor, Forage Crop Specialist Marion Barnes, County Extension Agent Bob Bett, County Extension Agent Keri Cantrell, Ag Engineer, USDA-ARS Carlos Carpio, Ag Economist Todd Davis, Extension Agriculture Economist Alex Feltus, Genetisist Bruce Fortnum, Plant Pathologist Jim Frederick, Crop Production and Physiologist Tom French, Manager, Strategic Programs, Savannah River National Laboratory Annel Green, Professor, Biological Sciences David Gunter, Weed Scientist Michael Heitkamp, Research Manager, Environmental Biotechnology, Savannah River National Laboratory |
Richard H. Hilderman, Professor and Chair, Biochemistry and Life Science Studies Drew Lanham, Associate Professor Hong Luo, Molecular Biologist Shelley Miller, Environmental Scientist Jeff Novak, Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS Francis Reay-Jones, Entomologist Lynette Savereno, Coordinator, USDA-NRCS, Pee Dee RC&D T.J. Savereno, Wildlife Biologist Webb Smathers Jr., Wildlife Economist Charles Turick, Savannah River National Laboratory Brenda Vander Mey, Rural Sociologist Terry Walker, Bioprocess Engineer |
For more information about switchgrass, contact Dr. Jim Frederick.
Page maintained by: Jenifer Lind, jenifel@clemson.edu