1. Dept of Plant Science, SDSU, Brookings, South Dakota (SD)
Evaluation of Biomass And Bioenergy Production, Environmental Performance and Life Cycle Analysis of Prairie Cordgrass
Sandeep Kumar (PI)
Dept of Plant Science, SDSU, Brookings, South Dakota (SD)

2. Project Personnel (Co-PIs)
Lin Wei
Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan
Senthil Subramanian
Eric Mbonimpa
Rajesh Chintala
Zhengrong Gu
Stephen Gent
Bishnu Karki
Jim Stone, SDSMT

3. Project Overview
Prairie grass-derived biofuels have the potential to replace significant amounts of fossil fuels
provide energy and food security, and create jobs in rural and urban areas.
However, more research is needed to develop cost-effective transportation and production methods, those can promote large scale commercialization.

4. Project Overview
Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Link.), a native warm-season grass, and kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum Bieb.), a rhizomatous, N-fixing legume can grown together to replace N fertilizer.
Kura clover mixture can provide extra N to the crop
may be helpful in reducing GHG emissions
increasing the biomass yield of prairie cord grass.

5. Site Information
Prairie cordgrass and kura clover were grown together at four different locations
Wisconsin
Minnesota
South Dakota
Illinois
to determine N fertilizer replacement value of the kura clover.

6. Previous Project
Assessing the impact of row spacing and different sources and rates of N fertilizer (0, 75, 150, and 250 kg N ha-1) on:
Cordgrass biomass and quality
Soil carbon (organic and inorganic), total nitrogen, EC, and pH
Evaluating the impact of time (years after planting cordgrass) on:
Soil carbon (organic and inorganic), total nitrogen, EC, and pH .

7. Locations and design of the experiment
Wisconsin
Arlington Agricultural Research Station near Arlington
Minnesota
Rosemount research and outreach center, Dakota County
South Dakota
Felt Farm, Brookings county
Illinois
Department of Crop Sciences Research and Education Centers, Champaign County

8. Locations and design of the experiment
60 cm Row spacing 90 cm
PCG-KC mixture (4 plots)
PCG 0-N (4 plots)
PCG 75-N (4 plots)
PCG 150-N (4 plots)
PCG 225-N (4 plots)
PCG-KC mixture (4 plots)
PCG 0-N (4 plots)
PCG 75-N (4 plots)
PCG 150-N (4 plots)
PCG 225-N (4 plots)

9. Outcomes Prairie Cordgrass biomass (PCG) and quality (2011 to 2013)
Nitrogen application significantly affected mineral composition, cell wall composition, and theoretical ethanol yield
Prairie cordgrass and kura clover mixtures had less desirable mineral concentrations, cell wall compositions and theoretical ethanol yield than prairie cordgrass monocultures

10. Deliverables PhD Dissertation Abstracts submitted to ASA meetings
Manuscripts (under progress)

11. What’s next
Gathered all the information and will be used in LCA and conversions.
Continue growing PCG and Kura Cover in 2015 and 2016.
Collecting the prairie cordgrass biomass yield and environmental parameters and soils data.

12. Study 1-Soils and GHG Emissions
Compare the production potential, soil greenhouse emissions, and soil quality for various prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Link.) treatments (seeding with kura clover, nitrogen fertilizer application) in comparison to switchgrass

13. Methods
Assessing the impact of row spacing and different sources and rates of N fertilizer (0, 75, 150, and 250 kg N ha-1) on:
Soil carbon (organic and inorganic), total nitrogen, EC, and pH, and Greenhouse Gas fluxes
Soil surface GHG fluxes have been monitored since 2014 and still on-going till 2016.
Soil samples collected since 2009.

14. Study 2-Densification
Process and densify the prairie cord grass (PCG) feedstock using already established AFEX-pretreatment and densification process and a novel one-step extrusion technology.
Led by Dr. Muthu

15. Biomass Densification Post-AFEX™ Pretreatment
Ground prairie cord grass (PCG) samples were sent to Michigan State University for AFEX pretreatment.
Samples were densified using extrusion and ComPACKO device
Raw Prairie Cord Grass
AFEX-Pretreated
ComPAKco single station test device
PAKs
Raw Extrusion Densified
AFEX Extrusion Densified

16. Plans for Next!
Determine the physical properties such as bulk density, hardness, and durability of the pellets
Produce bio-oil and upgrade this bio-oil to Jet-fuel from the biomass pellets using Dr. Lin Wei’s Pyrolysis Unit
Life cycle analysis study

17. Study 3-Conversions
To convert densified feedstocks into bio-oil via fast pyrolysis and upgrade bio-oil into drop-in fuels by using catalytic process and examine the effect of pretreatment and densification on drop-in fuel production and characteristics for implementing at RBPDs.
Led by Dr. Lin Wei

18. Preparations for pyrolysis tests
PCG particle size and distribution analysis
Feedstock
Ground 5 kg prairie cord grass (PCG) feedstock for catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) tests
Characterization of PCG powder including particle size and distribution analysis, heating value, moisture content, etc.
Equipment
Set up a lab scale tubular CFP reactor
Set up analytic instruments such as elemental analyzer, bomb calorimeter, Karl-fischer titrator, GC, etc.
Produced bio-oil samples from raw PCG using the CFP reactor
Crude
bio-oil

19. Plans for Next Start to produce bio-oils from densified PCG
Characterization of bio-oils produced from PCG using the CFP process
Characterization of fresh and spent catalysts
Determine In-situ or Ex-Situ system to improve conversion efficiency

20. Study 4-LCA Work
Determine life cycle environmental impacts and costs from various prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Link.) treatments using a well-to-wheel approach, and provide comparisons to switchgrass systems.
Collaboration with Jim Stone, SDSMT

21. Methods
Environmental impacts associated with switchgrass production are being analyzed using LCA modeling (GREET model).

22. Outcomes so far!
Soil samples have been collected for 2009 through 2014 and continue for 2015 and 2016, and will be analyzed for C and N.
Soil surface GHG fluxes data since 2014 (on-going).

23. Potential Outcomes
Soil surface GHG fluxes impacted by different N rate in prairie cord grass.
Impacts of legume/grass mixture on soil properties.
This study will also provide information on sustainable spacing for improved soil properties and the biomass yield.

24. Acknowledgements
Funded by North Central Regional Sun Grant Center at South Dakota State University through a grant provided by the US Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office under award number DE-FC36-05GO85041

25. THANKS